


Titans Reborn

by INeedMoreHadesBeforeISwoon



Series: Primordial Lore [1]
Category: Lore Olympus (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst, Delving Deeper, F/F, F/M, Fear, Gen, Huge word count, Long, Memories, Mild Language, Reincarnation, Sorry Not Sorry, Titans Reborn, Worldbuilding, seriously long
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2020-09-27 05:40:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 45
Words: 92,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20402569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/INeedMoreHadesBeforeISwoon/pseuds/INeedMoreHadesBeforeISwoon
Summary: This is my first ever fanfiction. But please don't let the chapter or word-count scare you off....Set a few years into the future from the presumable end of LO - What to could be brought into being when life and death meet in the bed of the Titan’s son?





	1. Invitations

**Author's Note:**

> For this, I’ll be drawing heavily from – obviously – the Lore Olympus webcomic as created by the lovely Ms Smythe, but also from various sources of the original mythos. However, as a writer myself, I will be attempting to create a deeper world and build more into the way the powers of the gods and Titans function. A goodly handful of original characters will be involved, but I will still attempt to keep the tone of their existence in line with webcomic’s ideals and developments.
> 
> Additionally, for this, I am ignoring the original lore's names and powers for the children of Hades and Persephone. They did not fit nearly at all well with what I was going for with this work. I am too much a writer to simply take suggestion lying down, so I created some kids for Persedes that I feel fit their relationship in LO, and my own writing, better. (Notes and insight at the end!)
> 
> One last thing before you dive in. 
> 
> This thing is gonna be multi-chapter, and I hope it will be a LOOOONG piece before it's all said and done. Some chapters may allow me to delve into the "erotic" and smutty side of fannish fic, but for the most part, this is an exercise in world and character building, and I will attempt to keep it that way for the most part. If you're looking for hotness, may I recommend the works by SpooksonParade? Them's my fav right now. 
> 
> Enter, mortals!

_You are cordially invited to attend _

_In celebration of Psycoria’s 8th Birthday_

_A party_

_Location: Pavilion Aphroditus_

_Date: Spring 122_

_Time: 11:00 A.M. _

_This invitation is for: _ _Vania, _ _Noreptes, _ _Lukenia, a__nd Melarebus. _

“What’s this on the back, Kore?”

“Hmmm?”

_Hades and Persephone:_

_The invite is technically for the kids, but we wanted to make sure you knew. _

_We’re excited to see you here. _

_-Much love, from Aphrodite, Eros, and Psyche_

Pink eyes met black in the desk lamp’s light. “Well, that’s thoughtful.”

“Yes, I suppose. Though I wonder what they’re scheming on now.”

“I guess we’ll see! As long as I don’t end up in the back of a car drunk again!”

The King’s throaty chuckle echoed through his shadowed study. “It’s an eight-year-old’s birthday party. I really don’t think there’s much chance anyone will be getting drunk, much less you, sweetness!”

“But Hera will be there, won’t she?”

\-----

“Shit. She’ll be sloshed before cake.”

“Do you think Zeus has tried to make up with her yet? Or is she still wielding his scepter anytime he comes near the front steps?”

“Based on how his last attempt to apologize went down, what was it, two days ago? I’m betting scepter. He still had that bandage on his forehead when I had that conference call yesterday.”

“Well, crap. You think she’ll forgive him?”

“I don’t know. She’s been mad before. But her whole entire life is bound up in being loyal and sticking things out through bad and worse. I just don’t think her loyalty can ever get past him hurting Hebe that way.”

“Yeah. I know what you mean. It’s one thing to try to nail every girl that catches his eye. It’s some whole other caliber of jackass that can forget who his daughter’s girlfriend is, and then try to force himself on her.”

“I think Hebe will forgive Zeus before Hera will. She is ticked, and rightly so, but she does have that soft spot for his antics. Always has.”

“No use trying to figure them out.”

“Agreed. Plenty of other issues to handle without trying to fix my idiot little brother’s screw-ups.”

“Speaking of issues, have you talked to Arry yet?”

“Ummmmmmm….”

“Aidoneus, I can’t help him with that. You need to be there for him.”

“I know. He’s my son.”

The moon rose in pale splendor over the towers of Underworld Corp in the distance. Melarebus stared out the window, watching the raindrops slowly thickening to a hazy fall of snow and sleet. His right hand, covered in a black silk glove, clasped his left arm above his elbow, and he rocked backward and forward on his heels, willing the sensation of smoke and mist to go away.

A quiet knock on his door had him spinning around.

“Go away!”

“Arry, we really should talk. I mean, we could do this through the door, but I think it would keep your sisters and brother happier if we didn’t shout…. Whaddya say?”

\----

“Hang on.”

The boy held his gloved hands up in front of his face, checking to make sure every inch of his skin was covered, to the point where the gloves met the cuffs of his sleeves. Satisfied, he walked over to the door and quickly turned the knob, as if it were a snake that would bite him if he lingered in the action. He scuttled back to his position at the window as his father, the King of the Underworld, entered the room in his black satin nightrobe.

Hades’ youngest son crossed his arms tightly over his thin chest, tucking his gloved hands as far back around his ribs as he could get them.

The God of the Dead felt his heart squeeze at the fear and confusion rolling off his son’s aura.

Hades took a deep breath, calming himself before he spoke. He needed to say this right, and he would never have another chance. Every time he spoke with this son, this powerful young prince who lived with so much fear and anxiety at his gifts and struggles, was an instant of either growth or destruction. There was no way to reclaim any faith or hope if he made a misstep with this heir of his heart; each time was a matter of life or death.

Which is probably why he always put these talks off for as long as he possibly could.

Which was probably not the most healthy thing for either of them.

Hades resolved to do better.

Starting now.

_Oh my sweet Gaia, why is this so hard?!_

Somewhere in his mind, he answered himself.

_Because you never had anyone to do this for you, and you can’t really afford to make any mistakes. _

_Shut up. He’s my son. I understand him better than anyone! I can help him, I can!_

_Can you? His power is darker than yours. You build and create. He only destroys. _

_Shut up! I have to help him. I can help him. Okay…._

“Arry, I know you’ve been having a little more trouble lately. I think we should talk about it. Can you tell me what’s worrying you?”

The white hair on the boy’s head swung viciously from side to side as he shook a vigorous _no_. His eyes with their fuchsia irises squinted shut as he looked abruptly down at the floor, trembling slightly.

Hades took another breath and pressed on.

“I don’t know quite how you feel, son, but I can imagine. You have a power that’s, well, powerful, and it’s scary. It’s a part of you, and that’s scary, because you can’t get rid of it. I know how hard it is to embrace the darker sides of ourselves. But I need to remind you, my son: we’re all born how we’re born, and if we were anyone else, we wouldn’t be who we are. We couldn’t become who we are supposed to become. Our struggles make us, just as much as our gifts.”

Melarebus shook his head again, still looking at the floor, but the denial seemed to have less conviction. Hades decided to try another tack, one he hadn’t thought of before.

“Arry, do I love your mother?”

The boy’s head snapped up, his eyes glowing as he looked at his father’s face through the shadows of the room. The light from the moon behind the boy seemed pale and wan compared with the fiery intensity of his pride and devotion to his mother and father’s love.

“Yes, of course you do. And she loves you.” Though his hands still trembled with the strength of his attempts to hide them under his armpits, his voice was strong, a clear and precise tenor with hints of deep caverns and dark wells. The voice of a young king proclaiming a truth undeniable and eternal.

Hades smirked a little at his victory. This, he could use. “Agreed. But think of this: if I was not born with the power and gifts I possess, and if I had not felt so much weight from those responsibilities, would I be the same man I am? The man that your mother loves?... Can we ever exist without our pasts?”

Melarebus’ eyes seemed to tighten, and he looked down on an angle, thinking this over. Hades allowed himself to savor his wit for just a moment before settling himself in to wait calmly. To push now would possibly ruin the trail his son was following to the conclusion he needed to reach.

A minute or two went by. Or it might have been an age.

When his son finally looked into his eyes again, there was a maturity there that nearly stopped the King’s heart. He felt grateful his poker face was better now, thanks to Hermes and Persephone’s monthly game nights for the past few years.

“But how do I work through something that I can’t control? How do I gain control, when any mistake or accident I make could kill someone I love?

“How can I practice without destroying everything I love?”

Before he could stop himself, Hades launched himself from his perch on the side of the little bed, and wrapped his trembling son in his arms. He felt Melarebus go stiff, as unyielding as a granite column.

He couldn’t stop the tears that fell into his son’s moonbright hair.

“We’ll find a way, son. I promise you: I’ll find a way to help you.”

The King of the Underworld held his trembling son until finally exhaustion and emotion took their toll. The boy’s body finally relaxed, and his breathing deepened; the King gently carried his drowsy son to the bed. He pulled off the fluffy blue socks and laid them on the floor. He straightened the nightshirt and loosened it around the thin neck, blue fingers dark against bonewhite skin. The black sheet and pale grey comforter went over the top of the gently moving chest.

Hades walked to the door, looking back at the void of the gloved hands gently clenched against the grey blanket.

How well he remembered those gloves – how they felt, cool and warm and supple against his skin. The safety and protected feeling of knowing he could touch (and be touched) without fear.

The terror that the gloves would tear or slip and something precious and dear be harmed or irreparably lost.

Made on an island hidden in a veil of mist, by women trained and raised under the tutelage of the Spider’s Widow, Arachne, the magic woven into the silken gloves had no equal in any of the realms of the Cosmos. Made to be a barrier between Hades’ own destructive power and objects he needed to interact with on a daily basis while he was still developing and learning control, he had put them aside close to 1300 years ago. It was only when he became the King of the Underworld and God of the Dead that that branch of his nature had begun to manifest, and in all the bustle and demands of his new role, he couldn’t afford any lapses or accidents. Hence, a sizeable gift of miniscule gems that sparkled as with dew even in the inky misted fastness of Arachne’s Island. Unwary mariners and traders were as often ensnared by the glitter in the darkness of those gems as were lured to other islands by creatures such as the Sirens. And so, the King of the Underworld continued to reap dividends in the form of souls from his purchase, even after he no longer required the gloves.

He also never lost his fondness for silken gloves, both on his own hands, and on his beautiful Queen’s tiny palms.

But now, the spell-woven spider’s silk gloves had been altered to fit his own son’s smaller hands. The King had paid the Weavers of Arachne’s Island handsomely once again for that adjustment, with a sizeable retainer still being negotiated should his son continue to need the gloves as he grew larger.

_And more powerful yet. _

How could he help his son without endangering them all?

Tears spilled over before he reached his own room. Persephone pulled him onto the bed, and somewhere in the deep of the night, they slept, salt on both their faces from shared sorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and feedback are all appreciated!
> 
> To old fans re-reading, welcome back!
> 
> To new readers, welcome to one hell of a ride! Buckle in for 8 hours of mind-bending emotional goodness!


	2. Life of the Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Party Time!
> 
> References of past trauma implied, so, you've been warned, loves.

“Well, all good so far. I think Vania seems to be enjoying Hebe and Aluria’s company, don’t you think?” Persephone seemed content to watch her fourteen year old daughter interacting with other young women in a polite and becoming fashion. Vania’s midnight indigo hair and wine-colored skin were striking beside the bright gold of Hera’s youngest daughter and the teal-and-sky beauty of her girlfriend, but the trio were also the oldest “youngsters” in attendance at this party. The rest ranged from her own Noreptes at 11 years (and quite full of himself, to judge by how flushed his cheeks were as he completed another turn at the sack-race) and Lukenia at 10, all the way down to Apollo’s newest baby, burbling happiness swaddled in golden and purple light from her father’s beaming face as she bounced on his bony knee.

_He looks happy. He seems decent now. Too bad he couldn’t have been decent fifteen years ago. _

She felt Hades place a gloved hand on her shoulder as he bent toward her ear. She didn’t take her eyes from watching Apollo and little Arlania as her husband spoke to her. “Kore, love, where did you go? Your vines are showing, sweetness. Come back to the party.”

She shook her head twice to clear away the dregs of her frustration. It had been long enough, and Apollo really had settled down into a pretty okay guy when he finally found a woman strong enough to put him in his place. And it was all fine. Persephone was sure she still got the best end of any deal ever with her husband and her beautiful family.

A small tussle broke out on the sack-race track. All the eyes of all the adults with a child in the mix zeroed in, until only three still moved amongst their suddenly-frozen playmates.

“Oh dear, Hades. Our boy looks like he’s having too much fun.”

A quiet chuckle met her wry statement. “Well, serves him right. He should know better than to wrangle with a boy _that_ much bigger than him!”

The other boy in question was obviously not using all his strength. He was enjoying the younger, smaller Noreptes’ antics, but still playing just fair enough to ensure Noreptes spirit wasn’t broken.

A brassy voice bellowed from a far corner of the pavilion. “That’s enough, Caernes! Break it off before I break something off!”

“Yes, Father,” the boy shouted back. A sigh of “oh, Ares,” and variations of “Got his father’s spirit, doesn’t he?” went through the crowd as Caernes let go of Noreptes arm and jumped away, landing lightly on his toes in a ready stance to see what the smaller boy would do.

Noreptes was visibly upset and being bested and mercy-played, and his little chest swelled with the huge breath he was gathering for his charge.

Lukenia had been bouncing near the boys the whole time, trying to find a way in to break them apart. Now, she leapt in front of Noreptes, between him and Caernes. “No, sir!”

A cyclone sprang into existence, whirling dust and tatters of sackcloth into the air. It blasted past Lukenia, throwing her hair around like snakes and whips, and swallowed Noreptes down its throat. After just a second or two, the wind collapsed into itself, leaving Noreptes twisted up like a pretzel on the ground: stunned, and obviously unwilling to reenter the fray anytime soon.

“That’s my girl,” Persephone breathed, as her grey-eyed daughter bent to help her brother to his feet. Nearly the same height and build, they could have been twins: hair red as blood, eyes storm-cloud grey, and skin a rusted mauve that nonetheless shone like rubies in bright sunlight. Noreptes smiled bashfully at his sister, and then both went to talk to Caernes. The other children had been slowly sneaking away from the fight, and now a handful of small groups formed from the remnants of the sack-race fun: some went to admire the presents piled on a table to one side, others went hunting for snacks and drinks to tide them over until cake and ice cream.

“I’m glad he didn’t give up, though,” Hades said. “It’s actually probably time he started some sparring lessons.”

“I think you might be right. Why don’t we ask Ares where he send Caernes? Whoever’s teaching that boy is worth learning from.”

“I think part of Caernes’ maturity is just natural wisdom and leadership, sweetness. He’s got more of his mother in him than his father, for all that he has Ares’ talent for the fight. His heart and soul come from Hecate.”

“I still can’t believe that match worked out! Whatever made you want to set Hecate up on a _blind date_ with freakin’ _Ares_?!”

Hades laughed loudly enough to draw attention; he kept laughing until he had to wipe tears from his eyes. “I thought you would have figured this out, Kore. He’s a fighter, and Hecate doesn’t take shit lying down. They’re perfect for each other!”

“Language, Hades!”

“Sorry, Eros.”

The party continued on, festive enough, but more than anything, it felt comfortable. Even for Hades and Persephone, who hardly ever made it to Olympus for events like this with the kids, it seemed like everyone there was going out of their way to make the King of the Underworld and the Queen of his heart feel more welcome than ever. Aphrodite glommed herself to Persephone as the candles were lit, and Hades could be heard holding a droning bass line as the crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to darling little Psycoria. Her giggles were contagious, and Eros seemed like he would never stop smiling as he tossed his little brown-haired daughter high in the air. Her newly-fletched wings fluttered wildly as she soared and fell, and everyone smiled and chuckled with good-natured fun and humor at the god’s antics.

Suddenly, a _shift_ was felt by all in the Pavilion. It was nothing physical; it was something visceral, something based in the field of aura and magic that pervades any space occupied by so many Olympians and other immortals at the same time. The laughter died, and everyone started looking around, counting children and locating friends.

Vania called out from her place on a bench with Hebe and Aluria, near one edge of the Pavilion. “Mother, I don’t see Arry!”

Persephone shot into the air, getting to a vantage point above everyone else. Hermes mirrored her from another corner of the Pavilion, and after a few passes and spins, both locked eyes over the heads of the *crowd.

Her son wasn’t in the Pavilion.

The sound of screaming echoed from down the side of the hill, below the Pavilion. The crowd lumbered in the direction as one great, many-footed beast. Persephone shot like a thunderbolt toward the edge of the hill, skidding to a stop in dust as Hera and Ares knelt next to a child.

A boy.

Not her boy.

“Probius, tell us what happened!”

“I- I- we- we just wanted to scare him a little!”

“_WE?!” _ Ares roared.

“M-m-m-m-me and Loretius! We just wanted to play a little joke on him, honest!”

Hades suddenly strode past, down the hill, and Hera snatched Probius’ arm to keep him from falling as the boy scrambled to move far away from the King of the Underworld. Persephone shot into the air again, but even at her fastest clip, she couldn’t quite catch up to her husband. The glimpses she got of him as his face swept from left to right to left, scanning the hillside below, made her chest tighten.

His eyes were black as the void of space, and the line of his mouth was hard as a diamond’s edge.

Persephone suddenly realized she hadn’t seen Noreptes and Lukenia since the _shift_. She spun around, her lengthening hair whipping out behind her in a flamelike sheet of pink and mauve. Vania stood apart from the crowd, and had one hand each on a shoulder of Noreptes and Lukenia.

Persephone felt tears well in her eyes. Her daughter may be vain and hard to please at times – what teenager wasn’t? – but she was a good soul and strong-willed enough to bring honor to her name and lineage.

Fears over her other children set aside, the Queen of the Underworld pelted down the hill, struggling to catch up to her husband as he continued hunting – what?

Whatever was waiting for them when they finally found their youngest son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I should let you into my brain regarding the names of the Persedes kiddos. 
> 
> "Vania" is actually, according to some baby names websites, a modern Greek babygirl name that essentially means "butterfly." However, in actual Greek vocab, "phania" means "lanterns." Either one strikes me as a great name for the oldest of the brood, and you'll see why next chapter.
> 
> Noreptes is taken from the Greek "oreptes," or "mirrors." I'm working on how that will fit in, stay tuned!
> 
> Lukenia was a fun one to derive. I actually had the idea for the name before I went hunting for meanings on the almighty Google. It was disappointing at first not to find anything even remotely root-bearing for this beautiful name I'd created.
> 
> So I broke it apart. 
> 
> Turns out, "lu" is kinda modern Greek text-slang for "lol." The verb "kene" is "to have." 
> 
> Lukenia therefore could be said to mean "having a laugh."
> 
> This is gonna be fun....
> 
> Lastly, Melarebus. 
> 
> If you know anything about the Titan-lore and the Titanomachy, you may recognize parts of that name. I will say nothing at the moment. However, "mela" can mean "black," and "rebus" can mean "conundrum."
> 
> Maybe you see where I'm going with this. 
> 
> I hope not, but thanks for your interest so far! I look forward to your thoughts, and as this is a new work, suggestions and comments are MOST WELCOME, LOVELIES!
> 
> One final note - I realize that Hecate is canonically an asexually-identifying character. It was pointed out to me by a very gifted fannish writer that seeing her SUDDENLY in a relationship with such a non-obvious character as Ares, complete with a child, was a bit of a shock, and not really a fun one. I would like to apologize if anyone was offended by this, and I would like to offer a small insight into my brain. I really want to do more with Caernes. I really wanted him to straddle the line between the aggressive, war-loving tendencies of his father, and the aggressive, yet protective and caring, tendencies of his mother figure. To me, Hecate was the perfect person to fill that role to develop Caernes' character from the start. I am considering other options for someone to replace Hecate as Caernes' mother, but at this time, I beg those who might feel attuned to Hecate as painted by Ms. Smythe to grant me a little leeway. I am not trying to shove straight or cis relationships down any throats; this was merely a world-expansion need at this time so that I can develop Caernes in the way I want him to grow. He needs Hecate to be his mother, and Ares to be his father, at this time. If something better comes to my mind, I ensure a rewrite will occur. Thanks for your allowing me to take a little more than average creative liberty with a well-loved character!


	3. Hunting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The youngest son of the King of the Underworld is missing.

Having canvassed the whole hillside below where Probius had surfaced screaming, Persephone felt fear and panic clawing their way through her heart. Hades, indomitable God of the Dead that he was, had spoken no word and barely looked at her as he continued around to another side of the hill. Persephone was walking now, worn out from emotion and fear on top of flying to try to keep up with her massive husband. She had stopped calling for Melarebus a while ago, after she realized it would do no good.

Somehow, she knew her husband was tracking his son in a way that would lead them to him, and he needed no help from her feeble, breathless voice.

She thought again, for the hundredth time, that perhaps they should never have come. It had only been a few weeks since they received the invitation, since Hades had begun devoting more time and energy to trying to develop a practice and training regimen to help their youngest son master his power. They were, all three of them, worn out from the stress and worry and struggle. They shouldn’t have come.

“Melarebus!”

Persephone jumped, her heart missing a beat or two as she looked frantically for her husband. She barely saw the tails of his coat disappearing into a cleft in the side of the hill. Fear and worry lending wings to her feet, she left the ground and sped through the air to the dark hole in the hillside.

The Queen of the Underworld landed softly on the rock ledge at the entrance to the chasm that had swallowed her husband and, she assumed, her youngest son. She felt a churning of auras and power within the cavern, and though she knew she needed to enter, she felt a fear clutch her heart like nothing she had ever experienced before. She knew her husband was upset: how could he be anything but? And yet, something about the power she felt creeping and coiling within the cave was not quite flavored like her husband.

Darker.

So dark.

_void_

The word entered her mind, and she knew it was the truth. Whatever the source of the power within the cave, it was not her husband, her melancholic lover, that had unleashed it. His power had form, had place. The Underworld was his domain, and hers much of the time.

Whatever this _void_ was, it denied them both.

She bounced on the balls of her feet three times, and Hermes came flying over a bulge in the hillside above her. She saw him stagger in the air as he flitted over the entrance to the cave. He felt it too, and seemed hesitant to get closer.

“Hermes, tell Hera and the others that Hades thinks our son is in this cave. I’m going in there, but don’t send anyone else in until you hear from me or Hades, got it? But they need to know where we are.”

“Be careful, Pinky Perse.”

Hermes turned a somersault on air and zoomed back the way he had come – well, except for scootching around the patch of air above the cavern’s mouth.

Persephone took a breath of flowery spring sunlight, and stepped into the darkness, following the faint trail of a scent like woodsmoke on a winter wind.

Her eyes adjusted to the darkness within the cavern much quicker than she would have expected. Some small benefits to being Queen of the Underworld, she supposed. She could make out natural shelfs and crevices in the walls of rock, meshed and netted with veins of soil and some pale roots playing seek-and-spy here and there. Slime molds and lichens were patchy near the mouth of the tunnel, but the farther in she delved, the more barren and empty the place became.

Finally, she heard a whimpering ahead. Though better than most in this moist darkness, her sight was still limited to only about fifteen feet ahead of her. It took a few more strides before she saw the small figure, covered in mud and damp, cowering in a huddled heap on the cold floor of the tunnel.

While at first her instincts screamed at her to run to her boy and comfort him in his fear, a heartbeat later had her realizing that while she needed to help this child,

It was not her son.

Loretius, then.

Moving closer to the boy, she saw a black silk kerchief clenched in his hands. Hades had found the boy, she guessed, and had tried to send him on his way out. The boy must have gotten too scared to continue. Kneeling beside him, not caring that her white slacks became drenched and coated with muck and sludge, she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Even though she expected it, the boy’s startled response had her jumping backwards, too.

“It’s okay. My name is Persephone. You’re Loretius, right?”

The boy nodded quickly, like a bird caught by a cat.

“Okay, Loretius, here’s what I need you to do. Look down there, do you see the light? You’re almost there. Keep your eyes on the light, and when you get closer, you can call for help. There will be adults out there, and they’ll get you cleaned up and warmed up, okay. Be brave, and just walk straight toward the light. You don’t have to do anything else, okay? Go on, now.”

Staggering for a few steps, the boy seemed to find courage in the light so far ahead of him. By the time he was fifteen feet away and she could no longer see the details of his silhouette, he was moving confidently, even arrogantly.

She’d deal with him later.

Turning back to the darkness under the hill, Persephone continued hunting her husband and son.


	4. Missing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hades keeps looking for his son, and finds more questions that have no answers.

The farther under the hill he went, the more the tendrils and coils of power sought to snare him in their grasp. He knew he was walking toward a danger like none he’d ever felt before, but he couldn’t stop.

His son was here somewhere.

His son needed help.

He ignored the call of those strands of darkness, those fingers of nothingness, and pressed farther under the hill. The tunnel continued in a straight line, and he wondered how it had even been formed.

Time for that later.

Have to find Melarebus.

_nonononono_

So faint that it seemed to blend into the moist oppressiveness of the tunnel, Hades wasn’t sure he’d heard something. He stopped moving, straining physical and psychic senses ahead of him in the darkness.

_nononogoawaynotnow_

Moving forward again, trusting the tunnel to continue straight because he could make out nothing except what he could feel, he took a breath of air colder than even the oldest sections of Tartarus.

“Melarebus, I’m coming. Can you hear me?”

“_Father?”_ So faint still; how much farther could this tunnel go?!

“Yes, Melarebus, I’m coming. I don’t quite know how much farther I have to go, but please don’t move. I’ll find you, you don’t have to go anywhere else, okay?”

\----

“Arry? Answer me please.”

“_There’s nowhere else to go.”_

The defeat in his son’s voice had him taking longer strides, breath hitching as he fought to hold back the tears.

“I’m coming, son. Can you tell me what happened? How did you and those boys find this tunnel? Talk to me, please, and I’ll find you.”

“_I’m not sure how they found it. They knew about it. They said they wanted to show it to me, that they showed all their friends the first time they came to Olympus.”_

“I understand. They brought you here, and you came inside with them.”

_“Yes. It was dark. I liked it. I told them I thought it was cool, a really neat place.”_

“It is pretty neat, isn’t it? Big, though. I didn’t realize the hill was so big underneath!”

_“heheh, me either. I was having fun. I thought they were my friends….”_

Oh, sweet Gaia. If they had hurt his boy, they’d never see another daylight minute.

_“They asked me if I wanted to join their club. I said sure, and they told me I had to walk in front of them farther in the cave, that was the first part of the test. I had to lead them far enough in.”_

Which would have put those boys, both of them a head and change taller and nearly that much broader than his young son, between him and the only obvious exit.

_“I was walking ahead of them. I liked the walls. The walls were funny to touch…._

_“One of them shoved me, and I fell. I landed on my hand, and I hurt. My glove….”_

Oh darkness, please no.

_“My glove got ripped. I think it was a rock…. I’m not sure. _

_“I tried to stand up, but one of them put his foot on the back of my leg. I couldn’t get up, and it – it hurt.”_

Red light before him. He knew his eyes were blazing, and he could feel the tingle of his cosmic form, but somehow, he was trapped. He couldn’t make the change. Stuck, trapped.

Like his son.

_“I tried to tell them to let me go, but they were laughing. They grabbed my arms and shoved me against the wall. They shoved me again and again…._

_“It got cold.”_

Closer and closer, his son’s voice growing a little louder with every step. And it was getting colder.

So much colder.

_“I was scared.”_

So frightened. So cold.

_“Then I felt angry. I punched the wall, and – something…._

_“The wall dissolved, Papa. I still had my gloves on, but the wall went away. The tunnel got longer, I could feel it growing. So I ran. _

_“But, Papa…. I don’t think we’re under the same hill anymore.”_

So… so cold….

_“Papa…?”_

Red light dimming before him. Knees cold and wet. Hands cold and wet, through his gloves.

When had he fallen to his knees?

“Papa? Papa, it’s okay. Get up, let’s go. Come on, Papa, please! I can’t grab you, come on!”

Little feet, covered in mud, dancing before his eyes.

Bare feet.

When did Arry lose his shoes?

“…Arry?”

“Come on, Papa!”

Clambering to his feet, leaning against the wall, Hades felt the cold of the tunnel ease a bit. It was also a little brighter than just a minute or so before. A pale light, diffuse, as if filtered through a mist or smoky haze, seemed to just _exist_ in this part of the tunnel now. He swung his head back and forth, searching for the source of the light.

He couldn’t find it.

He looked at his son. Melarebus was covered in mud, with twigs and roots snarled in his moonbright hair. His fuchsia eyes blazed through the odd misty lightness, and what skin was visible through the mud and around his clothes shone like marble against the backdrop of mud and rock.

“Son, are you…?”

Melarebus shuffled his feet back and forth in the mud. “I don’t know. I think so. But I don’t know how to turn it off or back on.”

“That’s okay. Let’s get out of here.” Hades reached out his hand toward his son.

“DON’TTOUCHIDON’TWANTTOHURTYOU!”

As Hades recoiled his hand, he suddenly realized that there were no echoes repeating his son’s words. The words fell dead in the air; as long as the tunnel was, there should have been some kind of echo. Even a faint hiss of sound fading in the distance.

But there was nothing.

The King of the Underworld gulped, unnerved by the impossible breach in the laws of the natural world. “I won’t touch you, Arry." No echoes greeted his deeper voice, either. Hades took a deep breath. "But I want you to walk beside me. The tunnel is wide enough. I don’t want you to be in front, because of what happened to you. I don’t want you behind, where I can’t see you. So, please walk beside me?”

His pale-haired son squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. It was something they had been working on, a calming release of a large breath of air. His son completed the ritual, and then walked up beside him.

They turned toward the mouth of the tunnel, that distant speck of shifting light, and began walking together.

The misty lightness moved with them, casting no shadows on the walls of the tunnel around them. But Hades could have sworn he saw a pale magenta glow that tracked wherever his son moved his eyes.


	5. Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hades has found their son (or, well, Melarebus found his father), and together they find their way back to Persephone. But, Persephone has also found hints of what happened to her son in the darkness. And before this is all over, one final answer will reveal itself to the Queen of the Underworld.

Persephone glared at the back wall of the tunnel, knowing something was hidden from her sight. She had kept walking down the tunnel, deeper and farther under the hill, until she could no longer see the walls of the cave around her.

It was at that point that she ran into a barrier of power.

She had tried everything she knew, everything Hades had taught her about his particular style of Underworld spells and glamours. None of it penetrated this veil of power.

She had conjured a handful of bioluminescent mushrooms – one of her newest specialties, which now dotted the fields outside of Hades’ city in a glowing shade of springtime dusk – to help her see the walls and ceiling around her. It was truly a dead end. There were no branches off this main tunnel, and there was nothing on the walls to anchor this depth of an illusion spell. A spell this pervasive, this bound to the hill’s shape so that there were no gaps at all for the truth to leak past, should have had a gemstone or precious metal fragment feeding it, since there was obviously no one present feeding the power.

None of this made sense. This shouldn’t be possible.

She knew Hades had not turned aside – not that there had been anywhere for him to have gone, the tunnel was bored straight and true into the hillside. But something….

She turned back and retraced her steps for a few moments.

_here _

Something had happened here.

Instinct guiding her, she conjured a few more of her glowing fungi to light the space. Just another section of tunnel: rock and mud and soil mashed together forming the walls and ceiling above, the occasional trickle of water shining in the pulsing light of the mushrooms that brightened and dimmed in time with her own heart’s rhythms.

But there were some sliding marks and indentations on the floor….

She knelt in the muck to look closer. A sliding skid, smaller than her own body. Elongated marks here and there that might be imprints from sandals or boots, only a little larger than her own. More drag marks and even some splash-flung droplets leading toward this one wall, here….

The light from the mushrooms she held in one upraised hand dimmed drastically as she got closer to the wall. She felt a hint of a coldness beyond what she had felt on her first day in the Underworld, when she was attacked in Tartarus. Something dark and powerful had been unleashed against this wall….

She was turning back, thinking she should head to the tunnel’s mouth and bring in some more help, when the wan light of her handful of mushrooms suddenly dropped away in a shadowed pocket in the wall.

She would never have seen it if she hadn’t turned in that exact moment, in that exact direction.

A tingled crept up her spine and she felt the power reach out and draw her in.

A hole pounded into the wall of the tunnel, just the size of her fist.

Melarebus hands and her own were the same size….

She felt the fear, the anger, the cold rage embedded in the wall of the tunnel. She spun back to the distant wavering light of the outside, determined now to bring in the gods and bring down this hill until she found her son and husband. Her feet left the floor, the wind of her passing slinging sheets of muck against the tunnel’s walls as she flew at her utmost speed.

_“Kore, wait!”_

“Hades?!”

She skidded to a stop on air, whipping around. She felt a twinge in her neck; she’d pay for all this whipping and skidding tomorrow.

Mushrooms popped into existence all over the walls of the tunnel, spreading out toward the back of the tunnel where she had just fled: light bloomed so that she could see, even halfway to the entrance at her current position. One dark spot, however, refused to allow any of her glowing mushrooms to take root, a large void of light around the fist-mark in the wall. The back of the tunnel was still a wall, but now, it was somewhat translucent. Like seeing the world through onionskin paper.

Through a veil.

Her husband walked hunched to avoid the tunnel’s ceiling; he was covered from head to toe in filth, but he had never looked more handsome to the eyes of his queen. His face could have been carved from ice with tightly leashed rage and ill-concealed sorrow and pain, but there was still an amused glitter in the glow of his reddened eyes at his wife’s obvious relief and the sight of thousands of mushrooms lighting the blackness of this tunnel in the hill.

Satisfied that her husband was well, if not okay, she then looked frantically to his side.

Her heart stuttered, and the mushrooms’ pale glow flickered in response.

Their son’s image blurred before her eyes. Her view of Hades was nearly unimpeded by the power of the veil, but as she gazed on her son, something _shifted_ in her mind, and she saw something other than her son’s small, pale body and glowing fuchsia eyes.

Taller by more than a foot over his father, though unhunched, as if the tunnel’s ceiling had risen out of the way for the height of this being. Long silver-white hair, shimmering as the stars in the cosmos, unbound and tossing fitfully in a hidden wind. Eyes black as ink around the fuchsia irises, and a bone-white face unmoving, unfeeling. A robe of shadow and _void_, tight to the skin until it reached narrow hips; there, it flared into billowing clouds of smoke and mist, leaving wisps and tendrils in the air of its wake.

Slender hands darting like spiders in and out of the folds the shadow-robe, pale as death, ungloved. Unleashed.

She staggered, and clutched the wall amongst her glowing mushrooms as she closed her eyes in fear of the vision. Her mother’s soul knew it was her son she saw, but she could not ignore the visceral terror at her glimpse of a creature so Other and beyond her experience.

Thanatos may be God of Death, of the act of dying. Her husband was the God of the Dead, the guardian and lord of souls passed into his keeping.

Her son was something darker than either of them.

That word again….

_void_

Hades saw his wife’s reaction. He immediately lunged toward her, feet leaving the ground before he stopped. He had promised his son he wouldn’t leave him behind.

He turned his head, craning around a rock in the ceiling to look at his son.

His son’s eyes were still glowing with a faint magenta light, but it seemed muted. Hades also realized that, whether it was the increase of light from the mushrooms his wife had spawned, or perhaps the distant light from the mouth of the tunnel, the misty light that seemed to occupy the space he and his son had been walking through was now also dimmed. But what caused his heart to falter yet again was the distant, veiled look in his son’s eyes.

His son was putting up walls again.

“Go on, Father. You have to go before me.”

“Son, I promised you I wouldn’t leave you behind. I’ll keep my promise, we’re almost there.”

A broken, dark-sounding chuckle left his son’s thin chest. “No, Father. If I walk out even a inch ahead of you, you’ll be lost. You have to go first.” His son’s gaze focused ahead of them, toward the lightened tunnel and the outside world.

A feeling of boulders crashing down mountainsides took over the King of the Underworld’s stomach. The power in his son’s voice.

Deep caverns. Dark wells. Echoes that did not resound.

A King’s voice.

The King of the Underworld took a shuddering breath and walked away from his son. After a few steps, he began running, managing to catch hold of his little wife before she slid all the way to the floor as her legs gave out beneath her. Murmuring soothing whispers and quiet assurances of safety and security, he held Persephone as she gasped for air.

After what felt like millennia, Persephone seemed to regain enough control to look into the fading red glimmer of her husband’s eyes. Her mouth worked soundlessly for another few seconds, before she finally spoke in a broken whisper.

“He’s a King, Aidoneus. The King of something called the Void.”

Hades looked back to see his son standing in front of a solid wall at the end of the tunnel, his gloved hands smashed under his arms, his thin chest heaving for breath. Mist curled up in tendrils from around his pale-white, mud-covered feet.


	6. Running Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Melarebus has been found, how do we get home without further incidents? Can we?

Hades and Persephone remained by the wall of the tunnel, both standing now, while Melarebus practiced his deep breathing techniques in the quiet. His parents' whispered conversation faded into the background as he regained control over his racing heart. He could still feel the prickle behind his back of the "door" he'd created, and it seemed to call to him without words, calmly offering a hiding place and safety if he would only open himself to the feeling of smoke and mist that was just beginning to fade from his body. 

He felt his heart jump in his chest again at how much he wanted to answer the quiet call. 

He took a few quick steps down the tunnel toward his parents, putting some distance between himself and the end of the tunnel. He heard his parents stop talking, and felt more than saw or heard their attention focus intently on him as he came to a stop. More deep breaths, and his heart slowed again. 

The feeling of smoke and mist dimmed as he calmed his mind and body. After a few breaths, he heard his father murmur again; but Melarebus didn't really care what they were saying, exactly. Whatever it was, he trusted that they would take care of him. They just needed to get home, and then maybe he could get a handle on whatever this was that had happened today. 

It scared him, what had happened today. 

Not so much the way those _jerks_ had beat up on him. That was definitely scary, but it was over. 

He had a feeling whatever that fear had woken up inside of him was more dangerous than any bully could ever be, no matter how big. 

He was afraid of his own power, and how little he knew about it. 

In the few weeks since that night in his room, where he and his father had talked about accepting what he had been and was becoming, his "practice" sessions and lessons had been mostly about learning to recognize the feelings he had that led to losses of control. Melarebus knew his father had attended counseling and therapy for a long time - hundreds of years, really - and he trusted the things his father wanted him to do. Arry had started keeping a journal at the end of every day, where he wrote to an unknown no-one about his fears and feelings and the things he had done or not done that day.

Like, yesterday, he and Noreptes had been playing chess, and Noree had used this one move that Arry had never even read about. It basically turned the tide of everything Arry had been setting up, and he had conceded the game to his older brother. Noree had smiled, satisfied but not in a gloating way, and offered another round. When Arry reached for his white pieces on Noree's side of the board, he'd felt a flash of frustration, and mild anger, at being beaten. 

His pearly white queen had crumbled away to nothing. Not even dust was left in his gloved hand. The feeling of smoke and mist seemed to spiral out from his hand, and he had run from the board and his brother to his room. It had really scared him that the glove hadn't stopped the smoky misty feeling from destroying the white queen-piece, and he was afraid he'd destroy his pen or journal if he tried to write about it. But calming breaths and meditating in his deep window-seat had brought him down from the edge enough that he had gone ahead with an early entry, and he felt proud that he was able to process through the accident in such a "healthy way," as his father would have said. 

Later, after he had calmed down, Noree and Lukenia were playing chess. They'd found another white queen to replace the now-unmade one, and were nearly too well-matched for either of them to win. Arry had settled down to wait, and then he played Noree when his brother finally beat Lukenia with the same move he'd used on Arry before. When Noree made the first move with one of his white pawns, Arry knew his brother wasn't upset, or afraid, or even sorry for him. He lost again - Noree did something else that game that was just as frustrating - but Arry was able to help pack away the game without any further incidents. 

So he felt like he was finally getting a handle on dealing with his destructive powers. But whatever this was today was so far beyond that, it made disintegrating a marble chess-piece seem like learning to use a spoon. 

And he really didn't know if he wanted to know what his mother had seen that made her collapse that way against the wall. His mother, in so many ways, was stronger and braver than his father. The King of the Underworld was vulnerable, especially when it came to Arry. And Arry knew it. He knew he was so much like his father that sometimes, his father blamed himself for the struggles Arry had with his power. He knew, with violent certainty, that his mother helped his Papa calm down when he freaked out, the same ways that his Papa helped him learn to calm down when his power scared him. 

Whatever his mother had seen or sensed when she saw them in a place that didn't exist in her reality was an unknown that he really didn't want to know about. 

Arry felt his mind calming enough under his continued deep breathing that he opened his eyes and looked past his parents to the light at the mouth of the tunnel. It was still daylight outside, and he was glad. He hadn't been sure of how much time had passed in the _space_ he had gone into, beyond where the tunnel officially ended; he didn't want to think about what might have happened if it had been nighttime now that he was out. 

Or was it the next day?!

His heart started thundering again, and Arry closed his eyes and started breathing slowly and deliberately once again. 

By the time he calmed down this time, he realized his parents murmuring voices were silent. He opened his eyes to see his father kneeling down a little to the side of in-front of him. His mother stood with her hand on his father's broad shoulder, and both wore calm, yet somehow still strained, expressions in the dim light of his mother's little glowing mushrooms. 

"Alright, Arry. We've decided the best thing right now is to get us all straight home. Your mother will drive Vania, Noreptes, and Lukenia in our car. I'm going to fly back with you to the Underworld. Is that okay with you?"

His mother smiled encouragingly as Arry looked at her for reassurance. He liked flying with his father; it was scary in a fun way. But they'd never flown from one realm to another before; in fact, they'd only ever flown around the house and the neighboring fields in the Underworld, in his father's kingdom. He knew it could be done, though - there were borders and portals that allowed it, just like the borders you could drive through or ride on the trains. But knowing in theory was one thing....

"Yeah. Yeah, that sounds good. I need a bath...."

His father laughed, not a roaring laugh, but a warming full-throated chuckle that always made Arry smile, no matter how he was feeling. When Arry was younger, he had been sure his father's laughs were spells, emotional reins that could bend even the most unruly mind to his will. Now, he just knew that his father's laughter was rare enough that everyone who loved him couldn't help but smile when the big blue king's fancy got tickled. 

"Me, too, son. In fact, your mother needs one more than me, I think."

"You lying so-and-so, how dare you speak of your beautiful queen that way!" His mother's scolding tone barely held together as her eyes twinkled and her mushrooms all over the tunnel flickered and sparkled like stars hidden in the earth. 

More low chuckling as his father opened his arms to Arry, in invitation to climb up for the flight home. Arry poked and pinched at his gloves, making sure they covered his hands and his wrists. He found the tear from where he'd been pushed earlier, and scrunched the edges together as he closed that hand into a fist. His palm stung a little - he thought he might need the first aid kit when they got home, but he really didn't want to bring it up now. Better to get home and cleaned up, and then see how bad it was. 

He just wanted to go home. 

Satisfied that he wouldn't hurt his father by accident, he wrapped his thin, mud-splattered arms around his father's neck. The King of the Underworld stood, hunching to avoid the continued lowness of the ceiling. Taking a few slow steps, Hades tightened his arms around his son's tense little body, making sure Arry was secure for the journey. Then he sped up, slinging splatters and sheets of mud and slime from the floor of the tunnel as he rushed to its mouth. Light flared as they emerged and Arry squinted his eyes shut against the brightness as his father careened over the heads of the startled group on the hillside around and below the opening. The God of the Dead angled to the west, into the setting sun, as he carried his boy home through the bright afternoon sky. 

Mist trailed behind them, fading to steam and wisps of cloud, from Arry's mud-covered bare feet. 


	7. Escaping for Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Persephone needs to somehow get past the other too-curious immortals outside the cave, gather her three older children, and get on the road home. There's just one problem - 
> 
> How little can she say to protect her son?
> 
> (And will her temper get the better of her if she sets eyes on those two little bastards again....?)

Persephone waited until she saw Hades' dark silhouette careen over the heads of the crowd outside the tunnel before she began striding purposefully after her husband. Even expecting it, knowing it was useless to wish these curious immortals would just let weirdness pass them by in a nonchalant way, she still staggered a little at the waves of exclamations and questions and worry that bombarded her as she emerged into the bright afternoon sunlight. 

"Pinky Perse, is your boy-boy okay?!"

"Persephone, does anybody need a doctor? I think Apollo is still up on the hilltop!"

"We sent the other boys home, Hera thought that might be best."

And more than that, all well-meaning, but still too much for the Queen of the Underworld's overwrought mind and heart. She squared her shoulders and felt the flicker of her black-basalt crown as it glowed dimly over her head in the bright sunlight. 

Finally, the crowd quieted. 

"Thank you all for your concern. The King of the Underworld is taking our son home to clean up and figure things out. I'm taking our other children home, as well. At this time, we do not require any assistance or advice. Thank you for your help, and enjoy the rest of the afternoon."

With that, she lifted into the air, feeling the strain sap what little power had manifested the crown over her muddy pink locks. Moving steadily up the hillside, she saw Vania sitting with Hebe, Aluria, Noreptes, and Lukenia on a bench at the farthest edge of the pavilion. Persephone felt a knot of tension over her heart ease as her oldest three children leaped to their feet to run and meet her. 

Noreptes launched himself into her arms as she landed, and Lukenia wasn't far behind. Vania hung back once she noticed how filthy her mother's clothes and body were: ever-careful Vania. However, as Persephone locked eyes with her eldest daughter and a silent, sincere "Thank you," formed on the Queen's lips, a shimmer in the air behind Vania's inky waterfall of hair caught her eye. Large oblong shapes, wavering as if through water or a lace curtain, gently fanned the air. 

The shadow of Vania's developing wings. 

Persephone swallowed back tears as Noreptes and Lukenia both burst out speaking, their voices nearly identical in tone and pitch so she couldn't quite tell who was saying what.

"How is -" "Did Papa have -" "Arry? Everyone was saying -" "Melarebus when he flew off? Those other boys -" "WERE BAD NEWS!"

"Whoa, you two! Easy! Yes, your father has Arry, and they're heading home. We'll talk everything over later. Let's get your jackets, any snacks you wanna bring back to the house, and head for the car. On the double!"

Noree and Lukenia sped off, careening around tables and benches and leaping over stray plates and cups as they ran for the treat table. A few grab bags sat ready; these disappeared like magic into pockets. Vania turned around and went back to Hebe and Aluria, smiling gently and bidding farewell with all the grace of her namesake, "butterfly." Persephone scanned the pavilion, spotting her coat and Hades black jacket laid over the chair where they had left them earlier. 

She sincerely hoped the keys were in his coat pocket. 

They were. 

Down the hill they went, to the patch of trees where Aphrodite's guests had been instructed to park their cars. Clambering into the back of the black SUV, Noreptes and Lukenia began tossing jackets and shoes left, right, and center, spreading out comfortably for the ride home. 

Vania hovered by the passenger side front door, an uncertain but excited smile building on her cheeks. She gave a side-eyed glance at her mother scootching the driver's seat up closer to the steering wheel. 

Persephone smiled brightly. "Whatchu waiting for, chickadee?! You earned it!"

Vania snatched open the door, scrambling into the seat and buckling in. Her feet in their strappy black sandals careened onto the dash, and she slammed a finger on the button to roll the window down, throwing her arm out to flop over the door as she gave a huge gusty sigh of satisfaction.

It took a moment before she realized her mother was glaring at her.

"What, Mom?!"

"Feet."

"Awww, c'mon!"

"Feet. Down. Now."

"Feet down, seat back?"

_Tch_. "Fair enough."

The strappy black sandals disappeared, and the back of the seat began slowly lowering to a "cool as cuc's" angle. A dark-maroon hand dug in the pocket on the door, emerging triumphantly with a pair of inky sunglasses that covered the girl's face from nearly her hairline to her cheeks. 

Persephone gave a nod of acknowledgement. "Very nice. Buckled in back there?!"

"Yep!" "Uhhuh!"

"Let's ride."

The engine purred to life, and then revved as the Queen of the Underworld threw it in gear. Tires spun in the leaf-duff, flinging small sticks and mulch against a shiny, dark-blue sports car with black and white racing stripes behind them. As the wheels finally caught and the truck shot forward, drifting slightly as Persephone steered it onto the graveled drive leading around the hill, she caught sight of Ares' dark look, his eyes locked on the blue speed-machine. 

Vania gave a trilling laugh out the window as she saw him, too, and then Ares smiled, his eyes twinkling. He knew how much fun driving a beast of a car could be. His booming laugh followed the roar of the SUV down the drive as Noreptes and Lukenia threw their hands the air and began shouting and laughing like they were on a roller coaster. 

Persephone couldn't help but smile, too; the drama and trauma waiting for her at home would not dim her pleasure at making her kids smile on this bright spring day. 

She only wondered how long it would be before she could see Melarebus smile that way again....


	8. Of Mist and Mistyness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hades and Melarebus are going home.

The wind was warm as it rushed past Arry’s face, but he couldn’t quite enjoy the sensation after the cool dampness of the tunnel. It seemed like the more the wind warmed him, the more the smoky, misty feeling uncoiling from his body strengthened in defiance. He tucked his face into his father’s mud-splattered sky-blue dress shirt; he felt his father’s chest expand with a sharply-inhaled breath at the contact, and suddenly the wind rushed harder against their bodies.

His father’s voice rumbled against Arry’s nose and cheeks. “We’re almost to the border, son. Just a minute or two more.”

He gave a tiny nod, but he still kept his face against his father’s shirt.

Just a few deep breaths later, his father spoke quietly again, letting Arry’s physical contact transfer the sound instead of shouting over wind. “Here we go, Arry, deep breath. It’s about to get chilly.”

Another little nod as he took that deep breath in; like a switch had been flipped, the warm rush of air and bright light that shone even through his closed eyelids turned to cold and darkness.

And, with that suddenly-flipped switch, the smoky, misty feeling turned in on itself. Arry could almost feel the tendrils and pull draw back into his body, and his breathing eased as the tension bled out of him.

He turned his head back to face into the wind, eager to see his mother’s glowing patches of mushrooms from a distance. He didn’t even notice the look his father gave him, concerned and confused, about the sudden change in his son’s demeanor.

“Look at ‘em, Papa. Like stars….”

“I see them, Melarebus. Your mother certainly has a gift for bringing beauty to a drab world.”

Contented sighs burbled out of father and son as they got closer and closer to the mansion on a hill. Small giggles and chuckles followed as they realized they had done the same thing at the same time for the same reason.

Hades felt his heart swell in his chest. No matter the difference in their appearance, or power, or strength: Melarebus was more his child than any of his other children.

As the King of the Underworld slowed his speed to approach a quiet landing on the meandering path leading to his front door, he wondered if he was playing favorites.

_No, not really. I love all my children. It’s just…._

A quiet voice argued with him in his mind.

_It’s not playing favorites to claim your heir. The son of your soul, as well as the son of your body._

_True. I mean, Vania is nearly like that for Persephone. She’s quieter, more reserved than my little goddess, but their power is oddly similar. And their hearts – they are both too caring and precious for all the intrigue and power plays in Olympus most of the time. _

_Though, they can defend and protect when they need to. Fates, I love Persephone’s thorns when she gets angry. _

_But Noree and Lukee…?_

_They’re almost an even split between me and Persephone, I think. Noree has my, well, would it be wrong to call it wisdom? The boy is turning into a fine little businessman, for all that he loses his temper sometimes. Even then, though, he’s gracious in conceding when he’s been bested. Sometimes, he just needs reminding, like today. And Lukenia, she’s feisty, but she’s so perceptive in her own way. Sometimes, she points things out, and it’s so obvious, I could stab myself in the thigh with a fork for not seeing it before. _

_They truly could be twins. Nearly perfectly matched in anything they do, and when they team up against any other pair…. They’ll be formidable in another few years. _

_Maybe we should send Lukenia for sparring lessons, too. _

_How about weapons training? Can’t ya just picture it: Noreptes wielding a polearm, Lukenia with shield and sword?_

_Nothing could stop them. _

_Wait, why do they need battle training? Where in the cosmos did that come from?_

_Figure it out later. Make sure Melarebus gets settled, make sure he’s okay after all of that today._

Shoes lightly thumping on the dirt of the path, the God of the Dead switched from flight to walking with no hitch in his stride. It was as if he had stepped from a carriage or off of a raised platform to the path below, perfect and practiced. Gently, he bent from the waist, lowering his son feet-first to the ground.

Bare feet, Hades remembered.

“Son, can you tell me what happened to your shoes?”

Those pale-white feet scuffled back and forth under his father’s scrutiny. Grey dust settled in a fine layer over the caked-on mud and dirt from the hill.

“I lost them.”

“How…?”

“They disappeared when I ran farther into the hill. I lost them.”

\----

“Okaaay. We’ll get you another pair tomorrow. Let’s go get cleaned –“

“No! I feel better without them, really. It’s like….”

“Go on, son. What does it feel like?”

“Like the smoky-mistyness goes down out of my feet into the ground and makes it easier to think.”

Hades felt like he’d been punched on his chest, right at his heart. Flashes blazed in his mind, from nearly two millennia before.

_His mother Rhea’s pink toes wiggling in blue water. Swirling ripples, so like her hair and the grasses in the fields, cascaded over his nearly-invisible blue feet and legs. _

_Massive imprints of his father’s feet, and his mother’s smaller ones stepping carefully around them so as not to leave any marks of her own. _

_The glowing tracks of Helio’s barefooted stride, never out of place. _

The King’s breath grew shallow, quick, and he heard it rasping in his throat as his son looked up at him through thick white lashes, concern and worry pouring off the boy in ripples and crashing waves.

Titans always walked barefoot….


	9. Lore and Legend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Persephone and the older three kids make it home. Dark shadows greet them in the silence.

Persephone couldn’t explain it, not really. Something about the darkened house when she pulled the SUV into the garage. The sun was nearly down over Olympus, and the pale-shadow mimic-moon that stood in its place here in the Underworld was already fading before the stars and behind the clouds.

She couldn’t quite dwell on her uneasy feelings, though. She knew she needed to get the older three settled before she could devote her time and energy and wits and _(Let’s be honest, here, Perse)_ heart to the ones who would need it most tonight.

She steeled herself for a sleepless shift tending the needs of her family.

“Okay, kiddos, here’s the deal. We’re gonna go in the house. You three are all gonna go to your rooms, get dressed in normal clothes, and then fend for yourselves for dinner. At least get started throwing something together. I don’t care if it’s sandwiches or leftovers, something quick and quiet. Your father and I have a lot to take care of after this afternoon’s weirdness and stress, so I need you three to help us by doing as much as possible to get yourselves settled tonight, on your own. If you can do that for me, I’ll make sure we have a special day out to the mall or something next week, just us, to make up for neglecting you three tonight. I will definitely check in on you when I can, but it may not be for a couple of hours. We all good? Y’all forgive me?”

Noreptes and Lukenia both nodded from the backseats, serious looks on their faces as they took in her tone. Vania was staring out the window beside her, into the wall of the garage.

“Vania? We good, chickadee?”

Vania’s head slowly turned, but her eyes were a little unfocused. Her voice was nearly too quiet to hear. “Yeah, Mom. Just take care of Daddy, he’s hurting inside. Arry’s quiet, but Daddy’s upset.”

Persephone’s heart stuttered a step down toward her stomach. “I will, baby. Okay, let’s get inside. Y’all don’t have to clean out the car tonight, we can do that tomorrow. Just go get out of your good clothes before you hit the kitchen.”

“We’ll be fine, Mom. Go on.”

“Yeah, sandwiches sound good.” “I think there’s some stroganoff from last night, too.”

Persephone climbed out of the car, shutting the door gently behind her so as not to break the quiet. She walked to the door into the house, and left it hanging open as she kicked her high heels onto the mud-rug against the wall. Her splattered and splotched jacket landed over the back of a chair as she made her way through the den and living rooms, opening her inner senses to try to find her husband without calling out to him.

She immediately felt what Vania had. A dark, swirling, emotionally-based pain, tinged with slashes of fear that bordered on panic. Coming from the library.

She opened the door with a light touch of power. Every door and window in the house was keyed to her thoughts, had been for years. It really helped when the kids were little and wanted to be carried everywhere. The little emerald embedded in the center of the carvings of vines and small woodland animals glowed softly as her power keyed the spell.

At first, she thought an intruder had broken into their home while they were out. Papers and dust-jackets were all over the floors and every conceivable surface. Then she began to see the patterns in the chaos: a book laid over scrolls on that desk, another with a scrap of dust-jacket from a different book marking a page. While some of the books and papers had obviously been tossed aside in anger and frustration, many more were open to passages in unknown hands, unspoken languages, and ancient scripts. The few shadowy illuminations and illustrations littered across her field of vision clamored for attention, but it was the shadowy figure at the ebony desk lit by the rising full-moon’s light from the giant bay windows that drew her focus.

His back was to her as he stood before the desk, not even behind it in front of his chair. Stark against the moonlight on glass beyond him, every line of his shoulders and neck vibrated with strain. His rigid arms held his palms flat against the desktop, and steam rose above his mussed hair from his breath. He still wore the sky-blue dress shirt from earlier in the day, and the same muddied slacks. He’d removed the suit jacket at some point, and she had his overcoat in the car.

Persephone felt tears in her eyes, and she closed herself off from his emotional current. Whatever was eating him alive was too raw to allow her to invade his privacy in that way any further.

“Aidoneus, what’s wrong?”

Her quiet question had him spinning around, red eyes blazing, breath hissing out of him in a snarl. Steam rose in clouds as his breathing became harsh, and she felt the heat and power he was trying so hard to keep leashed pulsing from his body like the rivers of magma flowing deep beneath their kingdom.

“We have to hide him!” His voice grated and rumbled with panic and worry. “We have to hide him; they can’t ever know anything more about him! We have to protect him, them, everyone!”

The King’s knees buckled, sending him to the floor before Persephone could bull her way through the clutter and mess to catch him. She grabbed him around the neck anyway, and he buried his face against her stomach. Wracking sobs tore from his chest, and the Queen of the Underworld felt her own tears beginning to fall. Rocking gently on her tiny bare feet, she sent a flicker of thought to the door; it shut with a nearly-inaudible click of the iron latch.

“What do you mean, Hades? Who can’t ever know about him? What are you looking for in all this?” She rocked her head in a circling gesture, her body swaying slightly with the motion.

His arms found their way around her back, locking her to him. She felt the microtremors that shook his frame as he struggled to regain control. She hadn’t even noticed the flamelike heat of his skin against her blouse and slacks, but she felt it receding by increments now. Sniffles replaced the gut-wrenching sobs, and deeper breaths had him finally looking up into her tear-streaked face.

“I was looking for any answers, any proof, that could prove me wrong. It’s mainly –“ Hades seemed to choke for a moment, dry-swallowing before he continued. “ – Zeus is the one who can’t ever know about Arry. He can never meet Arry. He’d see it in a moment. Maybe not right now, but in another few years, he’s sure to see it. It wouldn’t take a moment.”

He was rambling again, his eyes scrunching shut as he shook his head, panic flaring up in him again. Persephone grabbed his face between her hands; like magic, his eyes shot open, staring straight into her own once more.

“See what, Aidoneus?”

Another dry-swallow met her question.

“Arry is a Titan. Zeus will kill him if he ever finds out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's short, but it seemed crass to continue from this point. Things that are coming need their own chapters, so this one had to come in on the shy-side.
> 
> Also, can I just say, Hades' library tops my list of epic libs I want. It's replaced both the library in the Citadel in Oldtown and Prince Adam's castle lib that he gifts to Belle in my bookwormy soul. 
> 
> Shadowy corners and all.


	10. History, Repeating (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to look deeper. It's time to discover.

The cool breeze whispered over the fields outside the mansion of the Underworld’s royal family. The dark clouds billowed and rolled overhead, but were quiet for all their dark majesty. A deep breath held before a fall.

Vania, Noreptes, and Lukenia walked down the winding dirt path, seeing the pale shadows of dusk roses and twining ivies nodding in the breeze. The farther they went from their house, the lighter their steps became. Coins jingled in Noreptes’ pockets, and Lukenia patted her pocket to reassure herself of the folded bills she had stowed there. Vania’s fashionably tiny daybag-purse rested between her shoulder-blades, and she felt the weight of her own wallet within bounce a little as she flounced a little faster down the path.

The kids started racing down the hill to the main road into the city, leaving their worries about their little brother behind for the day.

Mother and Father would take care of Arry. Probably, by the time the three of them made it home that evening, things would be back to normal. Little accidents from Arry’s hands would be the worst of their troubles. And Father wouldn’t be so mopey: Mother would make sure of that.

Of course everything would be alright. Their mother and father ruled a third of the cosmos. They could do anything!

Even defend and protect and teach their little brother, who seemed less and less like the boy they knew since Psycoria’s party three days ago.

The clouds seemed to swell a little larger, a little blacker, as the children turned onto the paved walk and the lights of the towers and modern stores and restaurants lit up the twilit muzziness ahead of them.

Everything would be okay.

It had to be.

“Okay, let’s do this. Deep breath, Aidoneus.”

The King of the Underworld let his eyelids slide shut as his chest swelled and then compressed, the cool air of the library swirling gently around the carefully stacked papers and scrolls on the low table in front of him. He opened his eyes to see his beautiful wife nodding in a satisfied, approving manner from where she stood by the door. He gave a slight dip of his chin in return, and Persephone stepped into the hall, her bare feet making nearly-inaudible scuffing sounds against the rugs and blackwood as she walked away.

In a few moments, he heard her returning. It didn’t sound like she had gone much past the kitchen. Hades tensed to stand, in case she needed help finding Arry. But then she was there, holding the door open with one small pink hand as his son came padding hesitantly into the pale darkness of the library, fuchsia eyes focused on the blue and black patterns of the rug in front of him, hands hidden behind his thin body.

Arry’s bare feet had made absolutely no noise on the floors.

Not one scuff or sliding shuffle.

Silence. Void.

Pushing away his worry and concern and fear, Hades took another breath in and relaxed back onto his couch cushion. “Come on in, Arry. Your mother and I want to talk to you.”

“Um, not supposed to have… um, food, in here, Papa.” Arry’s hands came into view, one with a death grip on toast, the other cradling a glass of water, so cold it frosted the outside of the glass. Both hands were in the black silk gloves, and nearly-invisible tendrils of mist curled from his fingertips.

Which would explain why Persephone didn’t go farther than the kitchen to find him. The boy had been eating so much more over the past few days, but it still looked like he was a half-starved waif or shade. The lines of the boy’s body seemed to have become more defined, more refined, in those same three days. Baby fat gone, lean muscles and strong bones showed everywhere Hades looked. Shoving his worry aside again, with an effort, he smirked at his wary son.

“I think we’ll let that rule slide today. Come on in, sit wherever you’d like.”

Still making no noise, Arry walked into the room, sitting down on the poofy armchair across from Hades’ own seat. The low table neatly piled with documents and recorded history was now between them. Arry reached toward the table with his glass of water, but then hesitated. His mother flicked her fingers as she walked to take a seat by her husband, and a pink and blue hemp-woven coaster appeared on the corner of the table. Arry smiled brightly, placing the frosted glass in the exact center of the coaster, and then settled back in the chair, nibbling on his toast as he looked curiously at the papers and scrolls and books between his parents and himself.

Hades cleared his throat quietly as he too settled a little more comfortably into the deep seat of the couch. Persephone wiggled herself beside him, until he could feel her heartbeat thumping in time with his own. Comforted, he took a breath, steeling himself for the pain and fear this discussion could bring his son. Could bring his wife.

Himself.

“Arry, we need to talk a bit more about the party earlier this week. We need to talk about what happened in that, um, place farther under the hill. Do you feel up to that?”

Arry swallowed his bite of toast. “Yeah. What do you need to know? I don’t really know everything about what it was, but I think I understand a bit more than I did then. I’ve been thinking about it.” Once again, Arry’s light-tenor voice sounded layered with dark caverns and deep wells: what Hades was coming to think of as his son’s King-voice. He realized it was Persephone’s first time hearing it as she took in a sharp, but quiet, breath. He made a mental note to talk to her about it later, to make sure she heard the same tones and notes he did.

“Your mother had a bit of a vision when we were coming out of that place, wherever we were beyond the actual end of the tunnel. She, well, somehow knew you had some kind of ties to something, someplace, called ‘the Void.’ Do you know anything, feel anything, about that? Is that where we were, son?”

Arry’s eyes went wide, and he leaned forward to place his toast on top of his glass. The frost was beginning to melt off in trickles onto the coaster. “The Void…. That seems… correct.”

“Why don’t you tell us what you were, um, understanding about it, Arry?” Persephone shoved her hand under her thigh to keep the slight tremble hidden as she smiled lovingly at her son.

“When those _jerks_ hurt me, I was scared. I wanted to escape. I needed to escape. I was scared, and then I got angry that they were bigger than me, that I couldn’t do what I wanted, needed. I punched the wall, and I felt a lot of cold run from my chest down my arm into the wall. Even when I snatched my arm away, and those _jerks_ let go of me, I could still feel that cold racing through the walls of the tunnel. The whole tunnel lit up, like, in my mind, and I could the smoky-mistyness I’d punched into the wall going farther into the hill.

“And then I felt a doorway open up. In the back wall of the tunnel. I knew there was open space beyond it, space I could get into, but those _jerks_ wouldn’t be able to follow me.

“I went through the doorway.”

As Arry spoke, misty tendrils snaked into the air from his bare feet where they hung over the edge of the chair. Arry started to stare at them as he continued, and it seemed like the words tumbled out him, growing more and more sure and certain as he finally was able to bring his feelings and instincts from that day into reality and sense.

“I felt the doorway still open behind. I didn’t really know to close it, but I knew Probius and Loretius couldn’t follow me. I kept running, even though I knew I was actually safe. I guess I thought there would be another back wall. Or that I’d come out someplace _else_. But the space, the, um, Void, it just kept going.

“But, now that I’ve thought about it, I don’t think it was actually as big a space as all that. I think it was just a bubble of space around me. And so I kept running, and the bubble kept its space around me, and so it felt like I was going down an extension of the tunnel, but I wasn’t. I was just making a bubble of space straight into the hill.

“After a while, I stopped running. It was dark, darker than anything, and I knew it was dark, but I could see. There wasn’t anything but smoky-mistyness to see, but I could see it. Not with my eyes, like, I could see it all in my head. Or I knew it all, could feel it all, and so it was like my eyes filled in the gaps.

“I was far away from where the doorway had opened, I know that. But I could still feel where the doorway was. I knew I could get back to it. But I felt…. I felt calm, there. The smoky-mistyness was calm, it was like it was welcoming and not trying to take me over, not like it does sometimes out here.

“I felt like it understood and knew me, and if I stayed longer I could understand and know it better.

“It kinda felt like another home.”

Arry glanced sheepishly at his parents, wondering what their reaction would be. Hades and Persephone couldn’t quite hide their shock, but they still smiled, willing Arry to understand they didn’t begrudge him his genuine feelings. Encouraging him to continue.

So he did.

“I felt it when you came closer to the doorway, Papa. I didn’t think you’d be able to come through. I thought the, um, veil, that Mama felt would keep you out, too. But it didn’t. Did you not see the back wall of the tunnel like Mama did?”

“No, son. To me, it looked like the tunnel kept going. I only saw the back of the tunnel after you came back through. I’ll admit, it shocked me a bit.”

Arry giggled softly. “Sorry. Well, I don’t really know why it didn’t stop you, didn’t look the same to you. I think it must be something about you being the King of the Underworld. Somehow, that seems right. I don’t think the Void is the same kinda thing as here – actually, I know it’s not – but maybe somehow your power is similar enough to the Void and me, and it thought you were like me.

“But when you came through my doorway, you weren’t all the way in the Void. You were in some kinda halfway place. Like your power and the Void were trying to share you…. So, I could hear you when you started talking to me, but I don’t think you heard me quite right….”

“Right, son. It almost was like I didn’t hear you with my ears, really; more like your voice just kinda dropped in my head.”

“Uh huh, that sounds right. Cause we weren’t really in the same place. So you kept walking, straight toward where I was in my bubble-“

“But, wait, son! Wait. When I first heard you, you were saying things like, ‘nonono’ and ‘goaway, notnow.’ What were you talking to?”

“Oh. Um, that’s still weird. I don’t really know if I can explain it right.”

“I’d still like you to try.”

Persephone nodded encouragingly as her husband urged their son to attempt an explanation.

“Okay…. I felt like there were other _things_, other beings, in the Void with me. Just outside my bubble, but I could kinda sense them, in the no-space out there. I’ve kinda felt something like that once or twice before, out here. Sometimes I have nightmares, and I can never remember them, that’s why I’ve never told you about them, but sometimes when I wake up from them, I feel _things_ trying to reach me, trying to make contact. And I can feel the smoky-mistyness trying to take me to them. That’s what was happening when you first heard me. I wanted them to go away, because I needed to find a way to get you and me both back. Out of the Void.

“So, yeah. When you were about halfway to me, you started to, um, get tired, or something. You got slower, and you acted cold, and then you kinda fell down. I guess you’d gone too far into the Void, and your power wasn’t able to hold your own bubble around you. But I couldn’t figure out a way to pull it back. You’d told me to stay where I was, but I didn’t think that would work. So I came to you, and once I got close enough to you, it was like my bubble wrapped around you, too, and you, um, woke up.”

Silence reigned in the library as Hades and Persephone absorbed their son’s story. It all fit. Everything they had researched and discovered over the past three days was true.

_Gaia, give me strength to tell my son his heritage._

“Alright, Arry. Thank you for telling us all of that. It sounds like you’ve figured a lot of it out on your own; we’re very proud of you for how strong and brave and capable you’ve been about this.”

Persephone broke in. “But we have some more information and history that we think will help fill in even more gaps. We think we’ve found out a lot, and you really need to hear it. But, Arry, some of it is probably gonna be scary for you to hear. No matter what, you need to remember that we love you. That we will do everything we can to protect you and help you learn how to control and live with your power. No matter what.”

Hades took another deep breath. “Are you ready, son?”

“Yes, Father. I’m ready.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I realize this chapter seems more like rehash. But I really wanted to make sure and set up for the big shtuff coming in the continuation. For that, it seemed like the scene needed building from "recon" up. 
> 
> Also, this gave me time to play with Arry's perception of what happened in the tunnel. A lot of which will play into the coming discussion and his future learning and practice. 
> 
> So, while it's a little angsty, I hope you liked!
> 
> Let me know any thoughts you have, and stay tuned! We've got big reveals a-coming!


	11. History, Repeating (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Discoveries heard, conclusions drawn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel I should warn you that this particular chapter includes references to past trauma - including some rather macabre and gritty imagery. 
> 
> Also, this one is a little dialogue heavy, due to characters reading passages aloud. I hope I marked all transitions and speakers so it's easy to follow. Comments if not, and I can work on it!

“Okay, Arry. We’ll start here, with what we’re positive on.” Hades reached onto the table between himself and his son, hefting a rather weighty vellum-bound tome onto his knees. Dark-maroon and black inks marched in stiff shapes across the thick, leathery pages, telling their hidden secrets to the King of the Underworld. Taking a slightly-unsteady breath, Hades let his voice roll forth like winter thunder in the dimness of the library.

“This book is one of the oldest things I own. I personally protected the scribe who compiled it, and gave him every comfort during his tenure here in the Underworld when his mortal life was complete. This book contains the only true history, what little we have of it, of the Primordial Ones, and many of their children, the Titans. Our ancestors.

“My parents.

“I never thought to ask the scribe – well, honestly, he was a kind of prophet, too, but his sight looked back instead of forward – I never thought to ask him about what I’m about to read to you. If I had, I might have had more. But this particular passage is the only record of a Primordial One, who was also a Titan, named Erebus.”

Hades cleared his throat before he began to read aloud, speaking in his modern tongue even though the words on the pages were obviously in an ancient unknown language. “ ‘The Primordial Ones Gaia and Oranus together ruled the entire Cosmos, the Heaven, the Earth, and the Underworld, before their children, known to all that came after as Titans, came to their power in maturity. However, there is One equal in power to the Primordial Ones, who nonetheless was ever counted amongst their children. His origin is unknown. His shape, unknown. His realm, unknown. For while Rhea, Helios, Kronos, and the other Titans claimed the Heaven Above and Earth Below for their own with the regression of their Parents into Memory and Time, this Unknown One, this Erebus, remained apart even then.

“ ‘It has been said by some intuitive Oracles that Erebus is the manifestation of darkness itself. That while Kronos may be said to embody destruction and the end of all things, Erebus is the true being that controls and manipulates true darkness. The absence of light is his domain. Therefore, he is never seen, always hidden, and can only be felt when he stands at the shoulder of those children of the Primordial Ones.

“ ‘However, if this be so, how then could he possess the depth of power that makes him equal to the Primordial Ones? For Gaia is the power of Earth itself. She is the Earth, the physical plane. Oranus, in turn, is the sky, the ethereal plane, the space around and between the physical plane.

“ ‘Erebus, then, must be Oranus’ exact opposite. The space, mirror in image and exacting in power, that lies beyond the realms and power of Gaia and her Consort.’ “

Hades took a long breath as he began turning pages in the leathery book. “There’s only one further mention Cleistes ever made to Erebus, and even then it was well-hidden, almost coded. Hang on. It was in one of his passages of fever-poetry, which is why it took me so long to remember I had seen it before.” An embarrassed chuckle broke from his lips. “He was always a little dramatic, and I probably didn’t always take what I thought was his artistic license seriously enough. Here it is!

“ ‘Light beyond remembering. / Darkness beyond telling. / The Void connects to all.’ “

Hades drew his eyes from the book, staring intently into his son’s red gaze. “Do you see, son? Do you understand?”

Arry’s head seemed to nod of its own accord, his eyes hungrily locked on the open pages of the book. “The Void. Erebus. He was King of the Void.”

“Yes, son. That’s the only thing that it can mean.”

“Now, Arry, we have more to share with you. A lot of it is more speculation, theory even, and not nearly as certain as the work that marvelous Cleistes did. But some of it seems to fit, and every little bit should help us to help you learn more about yourself and your power, okay? Are you ready to go on?”

“Yes, Mother.”

“In this book here, it recounts a rather, well, fanciful tale of the final battles of the Titanomachy. This in particular was written by a troubadour, and a lot of it is fleshed out for drama and effect. But it does specifically talk about a ‘being’ that interfered in Zeus and your father’s final attempts to bring Kronos down. In fact, this one meshes closer with your father’s own memories of that battle.”

“I kept a copy because it always seemed to make some strange kind of sense. It explained better why Zeus didn’t help me sooner. Why I ended up with so many more scars….”

Persephone placed a gentle hand on her husband’s forearm, her love and compassion warming away the chill that had entered his voice. “Go on, sweetness, read it out.”

“Okay, Arry, here we go. ‘In the dust and flame of the battlefield, mighty Bolt-God Zeus gathers his strength for a killing blow to the King of Titans. Buying time for his brother’s powerful strike to come, the God of Souls continues to dance with his sadistic father. One, blacker than moonless night; the other, bluer than the souls of glaciers at the end of the world: their blows shake the foundations of the earth that spawned the Titan-King.

“ ‘When suddenly, a Void appears in the dust and debris hanging in a haze of death over the battlefield. Between Zeus and his brother’s pitched battle it stands, a shape not unlike the Titan-King in the distance. Long hair whipping as a Gorgon’s tresses; a robe of shadow and mist billowing in a non-existent wind: a Titan unknown, but power rolls from Its fingertips toward the God of Gods, shielding Its comrade as the eldest son of the Titan-King staggers from a mighty blow.’ “

Hades’ hands clench against his knees as his wife’s voice dramatically recalls some of the most harrowing moments of his existence. Persephone leans against his side in support as she continues.

“ ‘It was in that moment that a young acolyte of Zeus, grey of skin and grey of eye, flew to the God of Gods’ side. Silent as a grave and the color of a headstone, she wielded a spear in her left hand and a full-body shield on her right arm. A helm of bronze adorned her, and her armor glinted dully in the dusty light of the waning day. Black and silver owl plumes arched from the temples of her helm, and the bird from whence they came hovered at her side, talons extended for the fight.

“ ‘With the support of his battle-ready pupil, Zeus began firing bolt after bolt of concentrated power at the Titan before them. Grey-shade Athena threw herself forward, teeth bared in a soundless scream of fury and might. Her feathered companion assaulted the being’s face, and tendrils of mist wept downward from the marks left by the sharpened claws. More tendrils and billows of mist fell downward from the points of impact left by the lightning of the God, and rivers of mist poured from the gaping wounds dealt by Athena’s mighty lance-blade.

“ ‘Overwhelmed, the Titan could do nothing but fall.

“ ‘Nothing was left of the body that had stood before the God of Gods but a mist fading to nothing on the battlefield, drawn away in tendrils by the increasing wind.

“ ‘Drunk on victory, Zeus charged the Titan-King, sparing a frantic glance to his brother’s haggard, broken form below. One mighty bolt driven to the hilt in the chest of the night-dark Titan ended the fight, and all was still in the sunset’s light.’ “

Glancing up from the book, she saw Hades had his eyes squeezed tightly shut against the memories. Scootching herself farther into his ribcage, she felt him give a tired chuckle. She turned her attention to her son across the table –

And nearly screamed aloud.

His pale skin was marked on every visible inch with thin black lines and jagged black blotches. Spiny black marks shone on the skin around and over his eyes; a black streak, ragged and forked like lightning, scored across his throat on an angle. His arms bore so many straight, thin, needle-like lines, overlapping and crisscrossing each other, it was like looking at a block of veined marble to see them.

His thin chest, heaving for breath with strain and urgency, gave her a glimpse of starburst blotches where the neckline opened….

Hades heard his wife’s strangled noise and came immediately alert. Staring at his son with her, they watched the lines and marks and blotches fade to nothing, disappearing into their son’s moon-pale skin with no evidence of their existence. As they faded, Arry’s breathing calmed, but his eyes grew wider still, shock and worry plain in their gaze. Melarebus closed his mouth, then opened it again. His voice was faint as a breath in the night.

“Um, I guess the troubadour had it right….”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, here's the thing. I know that "Erebus" in the original mythos is actually a brother to Gaia; but then, so is Eros. I figured, since the lovely Ms. Smythe was tweaking the myths a little already, fannish works like this could do the same. 
> 
> Also, regarding the Titanomachy battle scene - 
> 
> It's always been weird to me that Hades seemed the only one to really come away with that much damage from the Titanomachy. I mean, I know some of his scars were from being eaten by his *coughing-choking-retching-gasping* "father," but not all of them. We get those few panels from Ms. Smythe that show Hades all bandaged up, but the others are all fine. So obviously, something went down in a final battle somewhere or other. I sincerely hope I didn't tread on Ms. Smythe's thunder writing this, but I needed this here for this story to work. 
> 
> Also, I know the "6 Traitors" as we get them from LO DO NOT include Athena. Which is why I wrote her as a young acolyte to Zeus. Trust me - there's reasons. I may have madness, but I also have methods. Athena needed to be in that battle against shadow-Erebus, even if NO ONE, Zeus and Athena themselves included, ever talked about it after the fact. 
> 
> Onward, my lovelies! 
> 
> OH! One last fun fact - vellum is actually leather. Yes, the book Hades reads from was made from something's skin - and yes, the "ink" may in fact have been blood. MACABRE GOTHIC TONES FOR THE WIN!
> 
> Comments appreciated as always!


	12. Heartbeat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vania, ever compassionate sweet little butterfly that she is, thinks Arry's been moping long enough....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments appreciated, as always, my lovelies! I was really excited to get this chapter written. 
> 
> I hope you like it, too!

Vania closed the door that led into the mudroom and stood quietly on the stone step outside, letting her eyes adjust to the murky early morning of another day in the Underworld. Her thin slippers made hardly a sound as she stepped from the stone slab into the lichens that passed for grasses this close to the faint shadows cast by the mansion in which her family lived. Her eyes swept the hillside in front of her, lingering on every faint patch until she found what she was searching for. Her brother’s pale form, hair lifting gently in the wee-early-hours breeze, his midnight-blue bathrobe clinging to his thin body in the damp: he sat beneath a gnarled shade-tree (a remnant of a majestic cypress that had finally succumbed to the ravages of time centuries before), staring out over the twinkling lights of the Underworld’s metropolis.

Moving calmly, she walked to a comfortable distance from his left side and lowered herself to the damp soil, adjusting her own robe as she did to provide some warmth. She felt him tense across the intervening space, but she made no move to get closer and acted as if nothing at all was wrong with sitting under a ghost of a tree before what passed for dawn in the land of the dead.

“They look like stars, dontcha think? Captured from the night sky and brought to earth for we mere immortals to marvel in wonder at their whimsy.”

She flicked a teasing glance at his face, even though he was still staring away from her, out over the horizon. But she also felt his aura lighten, just a little, as her attempt at poetry tickled his fancy.

“Yeah, I guess so.” His voice was deeper than Vania had ever heard it, almost layered with hollowness over his normal airy tenor. She knew now what her mother had meant when she said “King’s voice” a couple of days ago.

_It wasn’t like I was trying to eavesdrop. Mama needs to control her mumbling better if she doesn’t want us to understand her when she’s frustrated. _

“Did you sleep well last night, baby bro? I did. I dreamed about flying bowls of ice cream. It gave me an idea for my spells and enchantments project later this month.”

“Flying bowls of ice cream? Were they just floating, or did they have wings?” His interest was peaked now, and his King’s voice faded beneath his enthusiasm for his older sister’s spell-craft.

“Wings. All shapes and sizes. Winged bowls. I suppose they wouldn’t have to carry ice cream, but that’s what was in my dream, alright!”

He laughed softly, the sound fading into the oppressing damp mistiness all around them. She laughed with him, letting her voice peter out into nothing after a few moments.

“Arry, why are you out here this early? This is the third morning, and don’t try to lie to me. My window faces this side of the hill, I’ve seen you when I get up to feed the cat.”

He sighed, but it seemed somewhat relieved-sounding as well as aggravated at being found out. He looked down and away from her, his gaze casting a pale pink light over the trunk of the shade-tree. “Will you tell Mama? Or Papa?”

“That depends, Arry. Are you in trouble, or do you need their help? Or do you just need some me-time before everyone gets up? Cause there’s nothing wrong with that….”

“No, I don’t think I’m in trouble. I just… I can’t sleep.”

“Really? You know Mama will make you a tea to help; we could always try Hera’s patented warm milk thing, but that always struck me as too weird to humor her.”

“No. I’ve already tried all of Mama’s teas. I even tried the warm milk thing.”

“But, you said Mama didn’t know about this…?”

“She doesn’t. He doesn’t. I made the teas myself and cleaned up the mugs before morning.”

“Oh. Clever, Arry…. So, nothing worked? Nothing helped…?”

“Nope. But, this is the weird part, Vanny. I don’t feel bad. I don’t feel tired. I don’t feel like I haven’t slept for five nights in a row. I just feel, I dunno, normal. I mean, I lay down in my bed, and I kinda, I guess I’d call it drift? But it’s not sleeping, it’s not even dozing or drowsing. I’m awake, but I’m resting, drifting in the mistyness. Until I need to get up, and then I’m awake, like I never drifted.” He rushed through it all, sounding eager to finally tell someone. Vania felt her heart melt a little and trickle down into her stomach at being trusted, more than anyone else in Arry’s life.

“Well, that’s definitely weird, Arry, but it sounds like you’re taking care of yourself at least. Look at me for a minute.” He turned his head to face her, and she carefully examined his skin, the pale circles beneath his fuchsia eyes that were no darker than his usual color. She lightly brushed against his aura, testing, but not probing too deeply. Alert; clear-headed; rested. Not at all as if he no longer slept. “Yep, perfectly healthy boy-child here. I promise I won’t tell Mother and Father, but I think you should at some point. Just so they’re not surprised to find you wandering the halls or burning through more books than a boy who needs sleep should be able to get through.”

They shared another chuckle and turned back to watching the lights of the skyscrapers and businesses, both near and far from their damp spot on the hill.

“Vanny, you know what I am, right? They told you?”

Swallowing gently so her voice would be steady, she turned herself on the damp ground to face her brother squarely. “Yes, Arry. I know _who_ you are.” His mouth opened, intending to clarify and argue, but she rode him down. “No, you listen to me, Melarebus. I’m the big sister. You pay attention, and don’t you dare ignore what I’m about to tell you.

“Arry, I remember the day you were born. Noree and Lukee were both too little themselves to really remember, but I do, baby bro. Mama called me over to her bedside, told me to come say hi to my newest baby brother. So I did, but I didn’t see what all the fuss was about. This wasn’t gonna be any different from when Noree or Lukee had been born.

“But then I looked at you. I saw your white hair, swirling like leaves in a breeze. I saw your pale-pale skin, like milk and snow. And you opened your little eyes, and they stared up at me, darker then than they are now.

“The same color as my skin.

“I smiled at you, and you smiled back. Arry, I don’t care what anybody says, that babies just born can’t actually smile.

“But you did, baby bro. You. Smiled. At. Me. I got your first smile, and I knew then that you weren’t just my baby brother. You were my Arry. Mine.

“So, yes, Arry. I know _who_ you are. I’ve known since you were born. You’re a kind boy, perceptive: you see so much more than you realize, and you use what you see in different ways than anyone else would think. You have powers that seem like the exact opposite to who you want to be, but trust me when I tell you that you’ll find ways to use them that will make them fit who _you _are. Not who everyone thinks you should have been.

“It will never matter to me that, maybe, Erebus somehow shifted some of himself into you. I don’t even know if that’s the truth. It doesn’t matter and never can. Because my baby brother, my Arry, won’t let the source of his power determine the course of his life. He makes his own rivers and ripples. He walks his own path. Barefoot, pink-eyed and all.

“My brother may grow up to wield a Titan’s power. He may even be like a Titan himself. But he’s a god. He’s a King. And he’s gonna be great when he gets big enough.”

Tears were overflowing in her eyes before she finished, and she saw Arry wasn’t far behind. She held her arms open, gently asking for what he had been so afraid to give the last few days.

Melarebus rushed into his sister’s embrace, bare feet and gloved hands scrambling against the slick ground. Vania rocked back as his small body folded against her chest, and she held him tightly enough to feel his heart beating against her own ribcage, but loosely enough that he could move himself away when he had had enough of the contact.

Breathing deeply as her tears slowed, she felt Arry’s breath beginning to pace with her own.

And then she felt something else.

It felt like an aura-pulse, like a shallow ripple of unleashed power when a god loses control. But then she realized it was beating in time with Arry’s heart. With her own. With their breaths.

The ripples, the beating, seemed to get deeper, resonating with the earth beneath them, the air around them. Even the dew drops glinting on the lichen-leaves and shade-tree’s branch-tips seemed to sparkle in time with this pulsing beat.

She couldn’t move, couldn’t break the contact she had with Arry. She was caught in the tide of this feeling, and she knew a flaring hint of panic at her inability to do anything. She was trapped in this spell until Arry moved from her lap or turned whatever it was off.

She felt him twist in the cage of her arms, but he seemed to be in control, not panicked. She struggled to adjust her gaze even the bare smidge it took to bring his face into focus as he looked at her. She saw confidence, instinct, apparent in his eyes as he removed the black spidersilk glove from his right hand.

His fingers were cool on her cheek, and she felt….

The entire cosmos sharing its heartbeat with her own.

With his.

With the King of the Void anchoring her, she experienced something she knew no god or goddess had ever before known was possible. She felt the tide of life and death across the whole of nature, the wide expanse of existence, all moving as one entity, one life, one song, one dance, in each moment moving toward the next. With every beat of her heart, his heart, Life renewed itself and Death completed another step in its path.

She rode the pulsing waves of power, and felt a keen wail of despair trying to claw its way from her throat as Arry’s fingers left her cheek.

Nimbly, he climbed from her lap, her arms falling limply to rest on her knees as he did. She never took her eyes from his face, questions, wonder, awe, begging him to explain.

“It happened the first time a couple mornings ago. I saw a shooting star, waaaay over there by Tower 1, and I felt the heartbeat calling me. I didn’t even feel scared. I opened myself to it, and I felt it. I know it’s part of Titan power; some of the old books and papers talk about the Titans sharing the force of life and death with all things in moments of peace. That’s exactly what it is, Vanny. The heartbeat of the cosmos. And I wanted you to feel it with me. Was it… um, okay?”

She blinked, feeling her mouth drop open. “Okay?!” His shoulders hunched in embarrassment. “Okay? Arry, that was the most incredible thing I’ve ever felt! You really should show that to Mama, and Papa!”

“No!”

“…Why not?”

“It would leave a mark on them.” King voice again, revealing truths he only knew through instinct. “It would leave a mark on their auras that Zeus could track back to me. Their memories, their psychic feelings, would bear the scent of a Titan. I can’t show them, not unless I can protect them.”

“You’re not worried about Zeus feeling that on me? You trust me more than Mother and Father?”

“No, Vania.” Still the King’s voice, but amused instead of condescending. “Your aura is different enough already, and Zeus wouldn’t feel any difference. You’re safe from him, which means I’m safe to show you stuff like that.” Arry’s thin voice reasserted itself; she could almost hear him trying to turn the switch and make the shift from King to her brother again. “I mean, if you’ll let me, I’d like to share this kinda stuff with you, when I figure things out….”

“Sure, Arry! I’d like that! And when I figure out flying bowls of ice cream, you can help me load ‘em up for a bombing run downtown!”

Two explosions of laughter gusted away on the increasing breeze, and a few snowflakes swirled down through the branches of the ghost-tree. Standing, brushing duff and mud off knees and buttocks, the young goddess and godling began walking back to the door into the mudroom.

Bare feet and soft slippers left twinned shallow tracks in the damp earth of the hill.


	13. One-Way Exchange Program

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caernes faces a friend, finds a foe, and feels all up in his feels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick warning about slightly worse-than-usual adult language (One censored f-bomb).
> 
> And please remember for me that, while Hecate is canonically asexual, in my story, she's married and in a relationship, a steady, healthy one, with Ares, and they have only one son, Caernes, who is a middle-of-the-road heir to both of their personalities. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy a different point of view with this one!

Caernes lurched from his bed, groaning as sore muscles stretched and twinged. Flashes of memory from the previous day’s sparring class pelted through his fuzzy mind.

_That Noree is picking things up way too quickly for my own good!_

Arching his spine and rolling his shoulders, he made his stiff-legged way through the door into his bathroom. Flicking a thought at the taps in the shower stall, he smiled slightly as steam and droplets began sprinkling the inside of the glass door.

He reveled in the accomplishment, though he knew it was a small thing compared to other young gods his age. His ability to wield the energies that so many immortals could control with a thought or a flick of a finger had eluded his mental grasp for years. At 14 years old, he was only now achieving the success some of his friends had found three and even four years before.

Rather than being ashamed, though, he instead chose to look at it in the same way his mother had for so long.

“Your bloodlines are less conventional than most, hothead. For one thing, your father barely ever even uses his control of the energies. He prefers brute force, the blockhead. But you, you’re like me, too. It’ll just take a little longer for your genes to catch up to your fists in capability. Once it comes, it’ll be like walking down a rainbow….”

And it had been: once he first shoved a book across the table with nothing but his thoughts in frustration at the incomprehensible math problem, he had been picking up the tricks of the magical trade with surprising ease. He supposed being teased and feeling put out for a few extra years had been worth it, now that he was catching up so easily.

And it had given him a lot of extra practice at beating his opponents with his physical gifts when they attempted to lord their magic over him.

Stepping into the warm embrace of the steamy shower spray, he began humming a mildly bawdy tune he’d learned from his father as he prepared for a full day at the Olympus Charter School for Godlings.

“Hey-o, Cae-man, ya hear the news?”

“What news, Pollatus?” Caernes fixed his yellow eyes on his best friend’s thin, hollow-cheeked face as they walked up the lawn to the front doors of the school. Pollatus’ thin shoulders nearly vibrated with excitement, and his fingers twitched convulsively on the stack of papers and notebooks he clutched to his heaving chest, obscuring the pattern woven into today’s sweater-vest of choice.

“Boss-lady finally got permission to accept an exchange student from the Underworld!”

“No way, man! That’s super freakin’ awesome! Do we have any idea what age group yet?”

“I overheard some of the youngbloods talking about they were ticked ‘cause it was gonna be an older kid, so, maybe we’re in the running! You have any idea who it could be? I mean, ya see that red kid, um, Noreptes, every week, right? He give ya any names we should remember, friends he’s got down there?”

“No, I mean, he and his sisters and brother all basically get home-schooling and private tutoring. I know he said his mother tried to start up a whole school thing down there, hers and the King’s kids with the shades of dead children, but it didn’t end well, I don’t think. The shades didn’t want or couldn’t learn the things she needed to teach her kids, so they went back to how things were before she tried it. So, I really don’t think there’s much chance of it being anybody but one of the four of them, actually….”

“No. Way. That pale freaky kid from the party could come to school here? Dude, that’s sic –“

Pollatus’ voice choked off as Caernes’ heavy right hand closed over his throat. Yellow eyes turned a brittle bronze, and Pollatus felt his feet leave the ground, his weight suspended from Caernes’ fist.

“Don’t. Ever. Call. Arry. That. Again.”

Caernes’ fingers unlatched, and Pollatus crumpled into a gasping pile of papers and sweater-vest. Caernes’ feet in their black combat boots were already marching up the stairs as the chiming tone of the start of a school-day sounded on the autumn air. Pollatus bit back snarling tears as he rushed and scrambled to gather his belongings, making it through the marble doors of the front hall as they slid silently closed.

Pollatus still wasn’t quick enough to avoid a tardy slip in his homeroom class, though.

Caernes still felt the pounding of blood in his ears and behind his eyes as he slid into his seat in his homeroom class. For the first time since the start of the school year a few weeks ago, he felt a grim pleasure that Pollatus was in a different homeroom group. He’d been upset about that yesterday; he had missed his best friend.

It was all he could do to keep his butt in the chair as he felt again the tight rage and gritty pleasure at holding Pollatus’ life in his hands for his insulting remark on his young friend’s brother.

Caernes took a quiet breath in, feeling the rage ease a little. With his mother’s cool voice ringing in his ears from so many lectures over the years, he resolved to make no hasty decision about his friendship, or lack thereof, with Poll in the future. He would calm down, think it over, and see if Poll could, would, change his attitude.

Of course, if it was Arry coming to be the exchange student here, chances of him mending his relationship with Poll went out the window like last week’s tomato soup.

Fates help him, he felt he owed the kid.

Probius and Loretius had kinda been his friends before that party, too….

Ripping his mind from that dangerous rabbitpath, he tuned his focus to the teacher at the front of the class. She was a beautiful dark-brown tree-nymph, a draiad, and she was finishing checking her roll-sheet like she did every morning. Caernes whipped out his black-speckled notebook without looking, fishing a pen out of a deep pocket on the side of his pants. He looked down to flip the notebook to a clean page, marking down the date and topic as they were already written in a neat hand on the board.

All things considered, he really did like this class. He’d never have thought he’d be a bit of a science nerd, but physics – for all that it was like math half the time – seemed to make sense to him.

Especially when he got his dad involved in explaining the mechanics of lines of force. Them were some fun brawls, for sure!

Ready for today’s lecture, Caernes turned his bright yellow eyes to Ms. Maledite. The teacher smiled gently at her unlikely favorite there near the middle of the room, her leaf-green eyes glittering with amusement and fun, and Caernes felt his face split in a charming imitation of his father’s own winning smirk.

“Good morning, everyone. I have a quick announcement before we get into our topic for today. As you may have all heard, our school will be joined this year by an exchange student. Lucky for me and you, she’s been assigned to our class, our homeroom.”

_Oh, shit._

“I’d like to introduce you all to Vania, the eldest daughter of Hades and Persephone, the rulers of the Underworld.”

_Shitshitshitshit, not Vania!_

Vania walked into the room from the still open door into the hallway. Caernes realized that, in his wrath, he’d bowled right past her without even seeing her.

_CRAP!_

She smiled brilliantly at him from the front of the room, and then gave a gentle wave to the entire class. As a muddy round of “Hi, Vania,” rose from the stunned students, the air behind the maroon goddess seemed to shimmer, and tall, oblong shapes, half-seen and misty, seemed to flutter gently and fan slowly in the air.

_I’m well and truly f***ed. _

Caernes felt his stomach lurch as Ms. Maledite’s eyes scanned the room quickly, locating the only open seat for her newest student.

The seat right beside his own.

_Yep. That’s it. Send in the body bag. I’m dead. So dead. Fates, she’s even more gorgeous than I remember. NO, GEDDIT TOGETHER, MAN! GAH! So pretty – STOPIT!_

“Vania, dear, why don’t you tell us a little about yourself before you take your seat?”

“Well, there’s not too much to tell. I’m fourteen. I’m a nerd. I love my family, and I have a little cat that wakes me up at four in the morning because she can.” Polite chuckles met her quiet voice. Caernes gulped.

_Waterfalls and rose petals, she sounds like waterfalls and rose petals. MAN, GET A GRIP!_

“My favorite book is every single one I touch, and I can’t cook a lick to save my own life. I’m excited to be here, excited to see more of Olympus in my free time. And my dad is the God of the Dead, so, ask me on a date at your own risk!” Genuine laughter met this bold statement, and on that note, Vania bowed her head slightly and began making her way to Caernes’ table.

_I’d take that risk. Oh, sweet merciful Gaia, dark Nyx above, what is that perfume? So smoky sweet…._

“Hey, Caernes, right? You have sparring lessons with my brother Noree?”

_gulp _

“Yep. He’s really getting good; I don’t know if I’m gonna be able to beat him at the meet in a few months if I draw him.”

“I know he thinks the world of you. He’s taken every one of your ‘little hints’ to heart; honestly, he’s really glad you beat him that day at the party.”

“ALRIGHT, let’s get down to it. Today we’re talking inertia, so we’re not stopping until we run out of energy.”

_“awwwwww, come on, Ms. Maledite.” “that’s terrible.” “dad-joke alert, somebody call the pun-lice!”_

Vania chuckled softly at the banter, and Caernes felt a stupid grin slide over his face as he stared at her.

_Dimples. Almighty Cosmos, help me, she has dimples…._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, this is my first time writing any kinda "young love" "first crush" kinda thing. I hope I did it justice. 
> 
> It's hard for me to write this kinda stuff, as I have never personally experienced this in person. Yes, I'm near 30 and never been in a relationship or had a first kiss. Deal. With. It. 
> 
> Anyway, comments appreciated as always, lovelies!


	14. Perceptions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One innocent moment, misinterpreted.

“So, um, Vania, I, um, I’m-really-excited-you’re-gonna-be-coming-to-school-here-now.”

Her laugh trickled like a spring-fed creek at Caernes’ hurried, blushing admission. She tried to meet his eyes with her own, but he looked down at his right boot’s laces, a blush rising to darken his blue-purple cheeks. He reminded her strongly in that moment of her father’s embarrassed happiness when her mother caught him unawares. And pretty much every one of her mother’s birthdays, their anniversary, and Valentine’s – the blushing was nearly constant on those days.

“I’m excited, too. And, Caernes? You’re my brother’s friend. I hope you’ll be mine. I’d like you to call me Vanny, if you’d like.”

His yellow eyes snapped to her black ones, blazing with golden light that sparkled and shone like the sun above. “I would like. I really would. Vanny….” He breathed her name like a caress, and Vania felt a surprising warmth blossom in her chest.

“So, my ride’s here.”

“Oh. You’re not staying in Olympus? The commute must be – killer.”

She laughed again, and Caernes felt his face slide into another slack-jawed grin as her dimples caught shadows from the sunlight overhead. “That’s a great one! Killer. I like it, I’m gonna have to remember that one for Papa! ‘Course, he’s probably already thought of it himself, like, a millennia ago or something. But, yeah, no, they want me back home every night, at least while we give me attending here a try. It took a lot to even agree to a full-day schedule; they wanted me home in the afternoons, for our regular tutoring schedule. But your mother actually convinced Papa that a full-day would be more consistent, more reasonable, than some weird half-day, so he finally caved.”

“Whoa, good to know. I thought your mom would have got him to cave before my mom even had to step in!”

“Oof, no. Hecate had stand with Papa to _then_ convince Mama that the half-day thing was a no-go.”

“Ouch. Sounds like a lotta frozen dinners coming your way until Mama cools down.”

“Naw, Papa won’t let us starve. He’s a – oh, how’s he put it – a ‘dab hand’ at kitchen work.” Both of them laughed at Vania’s imitation of her father’s debonair attitude and choice of words. “But my ride really is here, I better go before the horn gets to feel some abuse.”

“Okay. Um, Vanny…?”

“Yeah…?”

“…Can I hug you?”

“Oh! Sure, Caernes!” And she launched herself into his arms. Bringing his muscles to bear, he lifted her slightly, leaning backward a little until her feet left the ground. He felt one of her knees bend, bringing one small foot covered in a thin leathery slipper up on an angle as he reached the limit of his flexibility. Her arms were light around his neck, and he felt her breath _huff_ a little as he took her weight. Slowly, he lowered her back to ground; he released his hold on her torso, delicately brushing a blunt, callused finger over her shoulder, readjusting the neckline of her pale-blue blouse from where it had slipped down her shoulder. Taking the same finger, he smoothed a wisp of midnight-raven hair behind her ear, smiling softly, gently, the entire time.

Vania felt that warmth in her chest flare into a blaze and her mouth hung open in a breathless _O_ of stunned pleasure.

“See you tomorrow, Vanny.”

Caernes lifted his bag from where it rested by his leg and strode away. Vania fumbled for the strap of her bag on the ground too, staggering a little as she took her first steps toward the black Aston Martin’s sleek lines in the parking lot.

_Wow. _

_Just. _

_Wow. _

Persephone’s eyes narrowed as she lowered the sunglasses from her eyes with a delicate fingertip, as if by removing the obstructing tinted view, she would see something different than she had seen.

_That. _

_Little. _

_Twerp._

_Oh, not my daughter. This is not happening to my daughter. _

The sunglasses went flying as Persephone’s hand jerked and her whole body spasmed.

Was that her own thought, or was that something her mother had once said?

Breathing deeply, clawing in the passenger floorboard for the mangled glasses, she talked herself down from the ledge she had never thought to find herself standing upon.

_No. Nonono. I am NOT my mother, and Caernes is not Apollo. He’s not even Apollo’s kid! He’s Ares’ kid. HECATE’S KID! He’s a great boy, so good with Noree, and Vania is not me. She’s not as naïve and innocent as I was. I made damn sure of that. She knows the rules, knows she can always ask me if she’s unsure or scared. _

_Right?_

_What if she’s not? What if she chooses not to listen to the rules, not to follow through?_

_What if I can’t protect her?_

_Oh, Fates. That can’t happen. _

_But it was just a hug!_

_And a little caress. _

_A really, really intimate little caress. _

_Nope! Down, Mama Bear. Down, girl. It’s not a big deal. It’s not like he was using a spell on her or anything. No roofies here, certainly. It’s okay…._

Seeing Vania’s staggering steps as she started walking toward the Aston, Persephone felt her eyes go red and her thorny vines weave through her braided bun.

_Oh, but if it was something like that, that boy won’t see another sunrise…._

Vania rode the wave of giddy pleasure as she pulled open the passenger side door, flinging her bag into the floorboard and sliding floppily onto the leather of the seat. A light sigh escaped her as she reached around for the seatbelt, and after clicking it into place, her head leaned back until it thumped against the rest behind her. Her eyes slid closed, and another sigh dreamily left her lips.

Then she realized the car was still idling. Hadn’t moved an inch.

She opened her eyes to see her mother’s red, bulging ones staring straight at her.

“Mom? Hey, what’s wrong?”

“_You. Tell. Me. Vania._”

“Whoa, okay, I don’t know what’s going on, but I didn’t do ANYTHING to deserve this much anger right when I get in the car! Back off, Mother!”

“Oh, I’m not angry at you, dear.”

It suddenly made sense for Vania, then. The currents of her mother’s aura were protective, defensive. Fearful. Not angry, not intending punishment for some misdeed.

At least, not intending punishment for her.

“Oh, Mama, please calm down. I’m okay, really! Caernes hugged me, and he was really strong, stronger than I thought, he picked me up off the ground! And then he straightened my collar, ‘cause it had gone slippy, and he brushed my hair back behind my ear. That’s all. And then my chest felt all warm, and my legs felt all wobbly, and that’s why I sighed when I got in the car. I liked it; it was a weird feeling, but I liked it. I liked him doing that stuff. And his voice is so, um, mellow, and I’m ranting, you’re supposed to stop me when I do that, Mama.”

But Vania had noticed that as she talked, her mother’s eyes faded back to normal and her thorny little vines crumbled to flecks of dust from her hair. So Vania had kept going, even though she had really wanted to stop after the hair-brushing comment, but she needed to make sure her mother really understood that everything was fine.

The aura in the car cleared, and Vania settled back in the seat again, this time with a frustrated sigh of grumpiness.

“I mean, really, Mama. What did you think he’d done to me, poisoned me with his finger? Trapped me in his thrall, in a spell? Come on, Mother. That kinda stuff just doesn’t happen to goddesses every –“

Vania trailed off as her mother stared straight out the windshield, her shoulders tense and fingers tight on the wheel.

“Crap. Mama, I’m sorry. I’m a teenager, remember? My mouth runs off faster than my brain can stop it. I’m sorry. I know you worry about me, ‘cause of what happened to you. But I promise, right now, at least, Caernes is just a nice boy who looks nice and smells nice and I kinda really think I like him. And I don’t think I’m crazy to think he likes me, too. But I mean, we only just officially met, like, today, and I’m not gonna do anything stupid. I remember the rules. Promise.”

Persephone inhaled deeply, blowing air out between her lips in a rude noise as the tension left her. “I know, little butterfly. I know you’re a smart girl, and you’re really perceptive. Thank you for talking me down; I knew better, I did. I know it was innocent. I’ll try to be a little less defensive and protective, unless you need me to be. And I’ll try to wait for you to tell me you need me to be.” A wicked smirk lifted the Queen of the Underworld’s lips as she turned the key in the ignition. “Now, how about I make it up to you? Ice cream and girl talk before we go home?”

“Yeah, sounds great! Step on it, Mama!”

Tires squealed and left marks on the asphalt as the black Aston shot backwards out of the parking space. Heads turned as the dark car with two blurred dark-pink forms careened out of the lot, barely yielding to traffic as it entered the flow and disappeared from view.

One dark-blue sports car with black and white racing stripes revved on the other side of the parking. The driver chuckled as he watched the spectacle of the lean black Aston drawing attention from every angle.

“That Persephone sure likes to go hell-bent for leather. You have a good day, son? Hey, you alive over there, old boy?”

Caernes snatched his head up from where he’d been doodling on the back of a scrap of paper in his lap. “Yeah, Dad, sorry. Long day.”

“Well, it ain’t over yet. You’ve got a session with Apollo to work on your aim. He says he thinks you’ll be ready for the really heavy horn bow before too much longer, but you’ve gotta get them wild shots down to less than 10% before he’ll let ya move up. And then I think your mom wanted your help in the conservatory this evening. You got a lot of homework today?”

“Naw, no more than usual.”

“Alright, let’s swing you by the range, and then I’ll run and grab something to take home for dinner. I’m thinking rotisserie, something greasy and just bursting at the seams with juice. You game, boy?”

“Yeah, sounds great.”

“Then yee-haw.”

Throwing the shifter in gear, Ares laid rubber over the marks Persephone had left on the pavement, laughing as he got a second round of looks from the people who had just finished shaking their heads at the Aston’s dangerous antics moments before.

Caernes smiled hollowly, glancing down at the scrap of paper he’d been doodling on. He shoved it calmly into the side pocket of his pants with his pen as he turned to look out the window, watching the bright colors and faces flashing by as his father drove like a bat out of hell for Apollo’s archery range.

He felt the dim little flame in his chest flare up a smidge as what he’d written and drawn flashed behind his eyes.

_Vanny. Vania. Butterfly. Waterfall and roses._

_My beautiful Vanny. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We'll be getting back to Melarebus soon, but I wanted to delve a little deeper into this budding relationship. 
> 
> I told you Caernes had a big role to play!


	15. Growing Pains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a few years since Vania started school in Olympus; since Melarebus started coming into his own with the knowledge of who he is/was, and where his power comes from. Vania's coming home for a visit, and Arry is dealing with a lot of troubling things.

Melarebus sat at the base of the ghost-cypress outside the mansion. The lights of Underworld’s metropolis flickered in the misty rain that hovered somewhere between fog and actual falling droplets, collecting thinly on the tips of the shade-tree’s branches overhead. With one long leg bent, knee tucked close to his chest with his thin arms wrapped around it, Arry breathed slowly, deliberately, willing the churning emotions in his mind to settle into some semblance of calm.

Behind him, around the other side of the house, the garage door clanked upward, then back down. The muffled thumps of car doors echoed through the ground, and faint voices, bright in the dimness, entered the house.

Things turned quiet again, and Melarebus resisted the pull he felt from the house. She’d come to find him, eventually.

He only wished she hadn’t taken so long to come home for a visit this time around.

Time ceased to mean anything to Melarebus as he slowly felt his mind melt into a somber quiet of its own. Lost in the peace of nonthought, he almost didn’t hear the door from the mudroom behind him open and close.

He felt when she stood just past the edge of his vision, though. He felt her light touch, tasting and sensing his aura. He felt a shudder though the sole of his foot where it pressed into the soil under his bent knee: apparently, he wasn’t keeping the feeling of the abyss enough at bay from his sister’s keen senses.

“Hey, Vanny.” His voice was dark, he knew: hollow-sounding, without any echo or resonance. An empty voice. But it was either that, today, or pain and fear and clawing rage. Given the choices….

“Hi, Arry. Can I sit?”

“Sure. Why would I stop you?”

She cocked her head slightly as she sat beside him, just a few feet away, within easy reach and in sight now. “You’re out here, getting soaked through the skin, when I know you heard that gods-awful garage door a while ago. I thought you might be insisting on being alone for a reason.”

He gave a hollow chuckle. “Plenty of reasons. But I knew you’d come out here sooner or later anyway. Why should I move, when I can find some little calm here?”

Her next breath was shaky. “Papa told me. Fates, Arry, accidents happen. I’m sure Lukee can forgive you.”

The anger boiled up without warning. He saw Vania flinch as the wave of emotion from his aura crashed against hers. He saw her eyes widen in fear as he met her gaze through the mist.

“I killed her pet, Vania. Most people’s _accidents_ don’t result in the deaths of loved ones.”

Another shaky breath. “Rats are notorious for getting in places they shouldn’t. You couldn’t have known Plucky was in that box. You were practicing, and it was an accident. It’s not like it was a person you accidentally harmed.”

“It was a life, and I destroyed it.”

Tightening the leash on his pain and self-hatred, he tore his gaze away from Vania’s tear-filled eyes. The lights of the towers and store-front windows paled as the mist finally became more of a rainshower than a hovering fog.

He couldn’t quite keep himself contained, though. The drops that fell in a wide circle around the shade-tree turned to fluffy snowflakes and tiny pellets of ice as his attempts to control his power leached the warmth from the air. He pulled his other leg up from where it dangled down the hillside, catching the knee between his arms and his chest like the other, shoving both feet hard into the soil, feeling his power start to trickle and drain away.

A shaking hand touched his shoulder. He stiffened under the contact but didn’t pull away.

He felt the warmth and love she poured into his heart through the touch, and the tears spilled over.

She moved behind him, leaning her body into his back and wrapping her arms around his own. He wept silently, his sister holding him, saying nothing, nothing to be said.

The moon rose over Tower One in the distance; as the lower edge cleared the rim of the building, a droplet landed on Arry’s shoulder. Snowflakes and sleet still fell around the tree, around him.

He knew that droplet would have tasted of salt on his tongue.

Vania held her brother until the snowflakes turned to raindrops, until the ice pellets ceased tinking and clicking on the stony ground. Nearly an hour of kneeling on mud in bone-biting cold was hardly the welcome home after months of being gone she had expected, but she would have knelt in the freezing muck all night for the single breath she felt Arry taking now. A calm, relaxed breath. A warm breath huffing against her arms where they lay over his, instead of that chilling gustiness of the past hour.

She gave him a slight squeeze, as much to uncramp her muscles as to change the tone of the moment from one of somber loving care to playful teasing affection. Stifling a groan as she moved away from him, back to her seat at his side, she felt the quick flash from his aura. He knew she was hurting, and he was blaming himself again.

“So, don’t you wanna hear about my latest exploits in Olympus?”

He narrowed his eyes at her, and she smiled brightly into his stony face. With a visible effort, he relaxed again; she was still the big sister, and she still had it.

“Sure. How many dates have you had with Caernes now?”

He grinned wolfishly as she sputtered. “You know that’s _not_ what I meant?”

“Oh, do sweaty nights with Caernes not count as ‘exploits’ in your book?”

“MELAREBUS!”

“You opened the door, sister.”

“Ugh. Fine. I’ve had 28 official dates with Caernes. NONE of them were so-called ‘sweaty’ or ‘exploit-atious.’”

“Is that even a word?”

“I made it one. In fact, Caernes is gonna come visit me while I’m here, and he’s gonna drive me back to Olympus. Mom already gave her permission; I’ve just gotta convince Papa over the next day or two.”

“…So, you’re only here for a few days?”

“Holiday weekend from school. We technically don’t have to be back to campus until Tuesday, but I really need Monday to get my brain in gear. We’ve got a couple early finals on Tuesday and Wednesday, so….”

“Uh huh. So, college is going well?”

“Yeah, I mean, everybody said the first year is the hardest, but I really don’t think it was all that bad. The coursework wasn’t that much different from what we did the last year or two in high school, so…. No big.”

“Well, but you’ve only done the first half of the year, though. Maybe the second half more than makes up for the easing into-ness of the first half.”

“Ugh, give me a panic attack, why don’t ya?”

She chuckled with him, happy that he was relaxing. She couldn’t stop the little shiver that racked her body, though. She was soaked, after all, and Olympus was soooo much warmer than home. She had almost forgotten.

“Welp, little sun-bird, time to go back inside.” As Melarebus unfolded his arms from around his knees and rose fluidly to his feet, Vania stared with her mouth hanging open.

She saw the narrow knob in throat bob as he dry-swallowed under her wide-eyed stare.

“Holy. Fates. And Mother. Gaia. Arry, how tall are you now?!”

He scrubbed one long-fingered hand over the back of his head, ruffling his damp hair under his glove. “Um, last time we actually took a yard-stick to me, it was six feet four inches.”

“Crap!” Scrambling to her feet, Vania moved her eyes from his bare feet all the way up the lines of his lean body, finally stopping when she reached his eyes again. The pale flush in his cheeks made her swallow and rein it in. “I mean, you’re huge, but you look good! You’re really starting to look a King, baby bro!”

An embarrassed smile lifted one corner of his lips. “You should see me in my crown.”

She felt her wings snap open at that bold statement. By the flash in his eyes, she knew he’d seen them, half-visible though they were. “YOU GOT YOUR CROWN ALREADY?!”

“Well, I mean, not really. It’s, um, other people can really only see it if I stand in front of a mirror, and then, kinda, half-step into the Void. I’ll show ya tomorrow, if ya want.”

“Damn right, I want! Bro, that’s awesome! I’m so proud for you!” Launching herself at his waist, she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him as tightly as she could. He bent over her, curling almost in half, to return the hug.

Her body betrayed her again, shivering violently as a breeze swept the hillside.

He huffed as her arms contracted around him with the convulsion. “Alright, little sun-bird, walk or get hauled.”

Laughing lightly, she started skipping toward the door. Little splashes of mud flung themselves away from her feet. She was glad she’d at least remembered to wear her good boots down from Olympus.

Suddenly, Arry was beside her again. He was just walking, but he glided over more ground with one step than she could have covered with six of her own power-walking strides. She could tell the instant he reined his legs in, slowing down to walk with her to the door. She kept skipping for a few more beats, then broke into a run. She slid to a stop before the stone step in front of the door, looking back to see how far she’d come ahead of him.

He was right behind her.

“Ugh, long-legged thing.”

“Shorty.”

“How dare!”

“Easily. I’m big. You’re short.” He leaned over, reaching for the door handle. She bowled past him to scoot into the mud-room first; flinging her arms out to either side, she blocked his attempts at cramming his hugeness into the small room after her. Using magic, she untied the laces on her boots, then fluttered her wings gently, rising like a wind-lifted leaf until her toes cleared the tops of her boot cuffs. Floating quietly forward, she lowered herself to the cool stone, wriggling her toes in their wooly socks as she turned to look back at him.

He was bent over, swiping his feet clean on a damp rag, grinning at her as her wings faded back to invisibility. His hair, a little longer than she remembered he usually kept it, swung limply across one pink eye, and the other glowed in the dimly lit space of the little room.

A flicker of fear twisted her gut; something primal, something instinctual. Prey in the eyes of a predator.

The rag was tossed into a hamper, and he was squeezing past her, dancing lightly on tiptoe as he bent around her in the doorway. She stared at him as he moved down the hall.

“You hungry, sis? I think we’re having pizza, come on!”

Just like that, the moment passed. But she couldn’t forget what her body had felt.

_Is that what it felt like to look at Kronos? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I specifically did not quite explicitly state ages in this chapter. Mainly, I want to be sure where I'm going with this will work if I keep the timeline I'm building with this chapter. So, I know for a fact that Vania is a Freshman in college right now. She started going to school in Olympus when she was fourteen, and Arry was 7 then. 
> 
> I'm thinking here that Vania is 19 - maybe a late birthday, or she took a little sabbatical between HS and college. This means Arry is 12ish. 
> 
> I may be having another shark-jump after a couple more chapters. But for now, we'll still hang with something like this: 
> 
> Vania is 19, Noree is 16, Lukee is 15, and Arry is 12.


	16. Official Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caernes arrives in the Underworld, as Vania's boyfriend, for the first time.

Caernes stopped his car at the head of the long, winding driveway, staring out the windshield into the mist-filled twilight of the Underworld. The long-branched pomegranate trees that lined the drive dripped with moisture, pale-pink specks showing against the glowing green foliage.

_Pomegranates must always be in season down here…._

Taking a deep breath, Caernes smashed down the trembling bit of fear in his stomach. He shouldn’t have put this off for so long. He and Vania had been exclusive, and happily in love, for months. Honestly, he was pretty sure he’d been long-time-long-gone for years, but Vania had wanted to make sure.

Those few months this past summer when she’d dated a couple other guys had been all but pure torture for him. But he’d played his part, escorting around another pretty girl or two, offering a few chaste kisses here and there. But none of them sparked for him like the meltingly-sweet, burning-blush kisses he’d had with Vania their last year of high school.

Before the end of summer, she’d arranged a meeting with him at one of their favorite patio coffee shops in Olympus. He’d arrived, perfectly coiffed and dressed to the nines, to find her as beautiful and stunning as a dream. His mouth had watered at the sight, and he’d hastily faked a sneeze to cover his ineptitude.

They’d talked. They’d agreed nobody else had made them feel the same way.

They’d kissed over a cruller.

They’d picked up right where they’d left off months before, and the past few months had been the best of his life.

Between official dates every weekend and seeing her daily in classes and around campus, he’d been riding a euphoric high all semester. Right around the autumn equinox, he’d realized he never wanted to even think about another girl – woman – and he had been hinting for an invitation to her home to meet her family _as her boyfriend_ for the last few weeks.

She’d finally agreed.

Maybe that little scarf and bracelet he’d gotten her last week finally got through to her.

So, here he was, in the Underworld, at the top of the King and Queen’s long, winding drive, freaking the hell out.

_Crap. Mom was right. Bluster and swagger can only get ya so far. Not even the front door, in my case. _

_Okay, suck it up, Cae. You love her. Fates, how you love her. _

_And you can defend yourself. _

_Not that Mr. Hades is gonna, like, smite you down or anything. _

_At least, not in front of Vanny. _

_But what about Mrs. Persephone? All the rumors say she’s the real threat down here. I mean, she tamed the King, for crying out loud!_

_But she’s Vanny’s mom. Vanny adores her. _

_And has kept me far from the family seat for the five years we’ve known each other. _

_Dammit. _

_I’m never gonna do it if I keep this up. _

_Just grit your teeth, ya wuss. _

_Yee-haw. _

Easing his foot onto the gas, Caernes guided the car sedately up the drive. The plum-colored ‘Vette responded to his touch like liquid silver, and he had to resist the urge to floor it and drift around a particularly luscious hairpin curve. Vanny had made it a point that reckless driving would only be accepted once her parents met him and approved.

He was Ares’ son, after all.

_Alright, boy. Winning smile. Hair in place. Umbrella under the seat, ‘cause you’re a responsible young male who plans ahead. Box of baklava that you made yourself – I’m guessing there’s some inside joke there, but Vanny swears it’s the best thing for me to bring today. _

_And light, bird-like pecks on the cheek only. Save the rest for tomorrow morning. In the car. _

_Once we’re back across the border. _

A light flared into existence in the dimness as he crested the hill and entered the circled drive before the front door. _Gas-light. Blue. Nice touch._ The black wood of the door remained as solid and unyielding as stone, however, as he scuffled under the seat for the umbrella. Finger on the door handle, he slipped the carefully-packed box of treats into the inner breast pocket of his waistcoat.

_Here we go. You know they’re watching. Poised. Make an impression from the minute you open the car door. _

_Yee-haw, boy._

Catching the handle of the door behind his finger, he gently pushed the button on the umbrella’s base as he swung his long legs out of the opening. Keys jingling between his teeth, he got his feet under him, noting the slickness of the mud on the underlying stone. Rising to his full height, he pivoted to close the car door, feeling a satisfied grin on his face as he felt the dryness of his pants.

_Booyah. Perfect re-entry._

The car door latched into place; angling the umbrella to protect most of his body from the light breeze striving to blow rain and mist in behind the sheltering fabric, Caernes started walking, confidently – but not arrogantly, very carefully just this side of arrogant – toward the steps leading to the front door.

The door which was now cracked open.

_Huh. Really thought they’d make me knock. _

A black eye surround by inky-blue-black hair peeked around the door frame as he carefully placed his foot on the lowest step.

_Vanny, you little she-cat. _

Smiling more broadly, Caernes prepared to shift the umbrella as he got closer to the top step. No sense making a puddle on his possible-future-in-laws front stoop when he’d successfully suaved his way this far.

“_Cerberus, NO!”_

_shitshitshit_

The door was flung open, revealing three massive heads, countless strings of drool, and steaming-hot breath that smelled oddly of peanut-butter under the fetor of rotting souls. Throwing himself backward, feet slipping on the stone steps, Caernes landed in a very un-suave, rapidly-soaking heap on the lichen-covered ground bordering the drive.

Oddly enough, the massive (and still growing) demon-dog did not pursue him. Muscled haunches shifted back and forth, trying to keep Vania’s tiny frame from exiting the door and running to her boyfriend’s aid. Caernes admired the strategy at the same time he recognized he could never beat this foe.

_“Cerberus, down. Do not make me ground you, you hear me?”_

Ears went flat, teeth slunk behind drooling lips, and two heads disappeared in puffs of black smoke. One thin tail snapped between two long back legs, and the protector of the royal family’s home crept back in through the front door.

Pink locks and a white t-shirt splashed with a rainbow of paint flecks and wax droplets glowed in the dark doorway. Blue jeans were barely visible in the dim light beneath the makeshift smock.

“Sorry, Caernes! Vanny, go get some towels, and ask Lukee to put Cerberus in the rumpus room for a time out. Caernes, are you hurt? Come on back up here, we promise not to assault you a second time!”

Smothering a groan as a muscle in his back twinged, Caernes clambered to his feet. The trusty umbrella was blowing away down the drive. Hunching against the wind and staring at his feet, he climbed the steps a second time, pausing under the overhang right outside the door. “Thanks, Mrs. Persephone. I don’t want to drip on the floors, I’ll wait here for the towels.”

“Nonsense!” She flicked her fingers and took two quick steps back; a shallow tray, about 4 feet square, appeared just inside the door where she’d been standing. It was like something you’d find in a muck room.

“Thanks.” Stepping over the threshold, he saw Vania coming at a nearly-sedate power walk from a hall on the left. A pile of towels and what looked like a bathrobe hovered just behind her.

“Caernes, I’m so sorry, I thought he was already put up, he never really listens when somebody shows up here for the first time, but I promise he won’t hurt you, he’s put away for now, and we’ll introduce you two later and it’ll be okay, and we’ll get your clothes in the wash so they’ll be dry, but all I could find is one of Papa’s robes, it’s probably too big, but –“

“Vanny, _breathe,_ honey.” Persephone snagged one of the towels off the floating stack, thrusting it at Caernes where he stood dripping in his tray.

“Thanks again. Oh, CRAP!” Dropping the towel, Caernes clawed in his coat for the baklava. Crumbs tumbled out as he pulled the sopping little box into view. “Oh, man. I’m so sorry, Mrs. Persephone. I made baklava for you and your family, but it’s – it’s ruined. I’m so sorry.”

Large eyes turned to look at him from behind a curtain of pink curls. “You. Made. Baklava.”

Not knowing why he felt so afraid of three little words, Caernes nodded silently. A few more crumbs and raindrops fell from the box in his hand and the edges of his coat. His hair was stabbing the corner of his left eye, but he ignored it in favor of maintaining eye contact with the seemingly-feral creature before him.

Suppressing a sigh as Persephone turned to glare at her daughter, Caernes wondered if Vania had been playing some terrible joke on him.

“You were trying to stack the deck, huh, little butterfly? You should know better. You know I’m always three moves ahead of you. I’ve got baklava in the oven right now.”

“Mom, you know I didn’t suggest that to Caernes. It was his own idea. Maybe he’s just a thoughtful guy like that. Do you think there’s any chance we could sneak some of yours into a baggie and pass it off as his, since your dog ruined the batch he brought?”

_Tch. _The sound echoed sharply in the foyer. “I suppose we could secretly arrange a little something.” A small wastebasket appeared in front of Caernes. “Put it in there, Caernes. I’ll take care of it. Get yourself un-dripping, and then Vanny will show you to the guest bath where you can get out of those wet clothes.”

The sopping little package of baklava made a sad plopping noise as it landed in the floating bin. The Queen of the Underworld stalked off, muttering incoherently under her breath, the little wastebasket floating behind her as she went through a doorway and out of sight.

Caernes huffed out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding in. “Crap, Vanny. You know how I like to make an entrance.” Grinning a lopsided smirk, he took the clean towel she handed him and began sponging the water from the tails of his waistcoat.

Yep. This had to be the best meet-your-girlfriend’s-parents situation anyone in the history of evermore had ever had to go through. Here he was, sitting with his legs tightly together, on a couch in the den of the royal Underworld family’s home, in the King’s bathrobe and nothing else. Turned out, his legs were too thick through the thigh with muscle to squeeze into any of the male family member’s pants. And what was the point in wearing a shirt that might have fit him if he was still gonna have to wear the robe? Oh, he’d given serious consideration to the skirts he’d been shown in Mrs. Persephone’s closets, but at least the robe was a man’s robe in a dark blue shade. If he was going commando and pantsless, he may as well keep the robe.

“The baklava was delicious, Caernes, thank you. Baklava holds a special place in our hearts around here.” The King’s blue lips curved in a smile as he gave a subtle eyebrow lift at his wife sitting beside him. Persephone somehow didn’t betray a hint of subterfuge; Caernes just knew she’d kick anyone’s ass at poker. Eying the chess board in its prominent place on the coffee table, he realized, _maybe poker isn’t even her game._

“You’re quite welcome, sir. I’m glad you liked it.” _And even more glad that you seem to have absolutely no clue. At least I’ve got Mama Bear batting for me. _“And, um, I’ll thank you again for the robe, sir. I, um, I really didn’t expect to lose my clothes so soon after arriving.”

A _tink_ of cracking glass echoed from a shadowy cabinet on a wall behind Caernes.

_Oh, shit, what did I just say?!!?_

“I only meant, um, I wasn’t planning to spend the night, so I didn’t even have any spare clothes in my car. Not…. Oh crap. I’m just gonna shut my mouth. Thank you for your hospitality.”

He couldn’t lower his blushing face quickly enough to miss the tight-lipped smile of the Queen of the Underworld’s suppressed laughter as she reached a hand to gently clasp her husband’s long-fingered blue one. A deep throat-clearing emanated from the King. “Yes, well, your outfit should be dry momentarily. And then we can all sit to dinner. I do assume you were intending to stay for dinner?”

“It would be my honor, sir.” It took everything he had to keep a straight, dignified face as he looked the King in the eyes to say that line.

“Well, honor can wait.” Caernes couldn’t stop the startled reflex that bounded through his body at that deep, hollow voice from somewhere behind him. “I have your clothes right here, Caernes. Clean, dry, and soft as swan’s down.” The owner of the voice strode into sight against the unlit fireplace to the left, and Caernes felt his throat go bone-dry.

The moon-pale face seemed to hover in mid-air above the black, skin-tight cloth encasing the lean, hard lines of the torso. Silver-white hair lifted in bold waves and spiky lines above fuchsia eyes that seemed to glow. Gloves of black silk could not hide the length of the slender, spidery fingers, and the light-grey wisps of mist that curled up around the bundle of clothes cradled in those otherworldly hands made an otherwise rather domestic scene into something on the fringe of a nightmare.

Keeping his movement controlled, both to reduce flap from the front of the bathrobe as well as to reveal nothing of the fear pounding in his chest, Caernes walked over to this Titan of a god.

He knew now why Vania never really talked about him. Melarebus was something else. More than six feet of lean, barely controlled power and Kinghood, Caernes felt every territorial and defensive instinct in him clawing for release.

The skin around those glowing pink eyes tightened just a fraction. Maybe Caernes wasn’t as subtle with his thoughts and feelings as he had intended.

“Many thanks, Arry. It is Arry, right?”

A nod, but those eyes never left his own.

“I’ll just go get changed. Again.”

Caernes fled the room. Sure, he walked, and sure, he didn’t scream.

He still fled.

“Arry, I seriously said I could bring him his clothes!” Vania’s indignant voice carried far ahead of her as she careened around the edge of the doorway to come toe to toe with her massive brother.

“But I’m bigger than you. It was my pleasure to deliver your beloved his longed-for clothing.”

“ARRY!”

“Hey, sis?”

“What, you big jerk?”

“I like him…”


	17. A Night in the Underworld

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unforeseen circumstances cause Caernes to spend the night at the home of Hades and Persephone (and Vanny) in the Underworld. 
> 
> Secrets, shadows, and surprises abound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You have been warned - this is a loooooong one.
> 
> And no. No smexy stuff this go-round. Sorry. But not sorry enough, I suppose.
> 
> More of Caernes' thought processes. I'm really starting to like writing him. 
> 
> And Arry. Oh, yes.
> 
> Secrets and shadows and mistyness. 
> 
> What has Caernes gotten himself into?

“Mrs. Persephone, that was a lovely meal. I really enjoyed it, every bite.”

“Glad you liked it, Caernes.” A light smile lit the Queen’s lips, and her husband at her side struck a wooden match across the marble top of the elegant dining room table. Holding the wavering flame to his cigar, he puffed a few times, and then dropped the match from his lean fingers into the dregs of his whiskey glass.

Across the table from Caernes’ own seat, Noreptes surreptitiously pulled a small notebook from under the edge of the table. The pencil tucked behind his ear floated into his hand, and small lines and geometric figures began to take shape on a blank page beside his plate. Caernes recognized the markings and symbols as battle tactics simulation hypotheticals, and he wondered what the boy was scheming on this time.

Noreptes had quickly gained a reputation in the stratagems and tactics classes at Olympus Charter over the last few months, breaking Caernes’ own records for quickest victory and “least number of moves to overwhelm an opponent” within the first few weeks of his freshman year. While he was physically capable of winning most hand-to-hand and weapons-based assaults against up to three opponents at a time, Noreptes was showing all comers that his skills were not merely brawn. He had the brains to match it.

Lukenia peered intently over Noreptes’ shoulder, one of her fingers making small movements and twirling motions on the table’s surface as she followed the complex maneuvers and theories that Noree was outlining. For all the world, it would have seemed that Noree was completely unaware of his sister’s interest: his gaze never wavered and his pencil never stopped moving on the rapidly filling page. But then he paused, cocking his head, staring at the page. He erased a line of hatchmarks, then replaced them with a curving wave of half-moon shapes and triangles. A smile lifted the corner of his mouth closest to Lukenia, and her answering grin was as bright as the sun.

Somehow, the two of them were attuned beyond verbal communication.

Caernes raised one eyebrow at Vania where she sat on his right side. She shrugged in reply.

“We can move into the den, if you would like to join us, Caernes. We usually all hang around for a while in there before homework and, ahem, personal time.” The King’s voice rumbled through the room as Persephone rose like a dancer to her feet. Chairs started scraping back, and Caernes joined the whole family as they trooped out of the dining room, down a dark hall, and back into the den he’d been so humiliated in earlier in the evening.

He tried to ignore the tingle that crawled its was up his spine between his shoulder blades as Arry walked the entire way behind him.

Vania patted the couch cushion beside her as Caernes weaved between the armchairs and end-tables to reach her. Lowering his frame to the leather of the couch, he raised one arm so she could curl against his side. Immediately, he regretted it, his eyes shooting to her parents where they sat on the opposite couch. What if that was too familiar for his first evening in their home as their eldest daughter’s boyfriend?

Vanny apparently had no such qualm. She snuggled against his side, one hand reaching across his body to twine her fingers with his; though, he supposed she did a lot less burrowing and scootching around than usual, probably to avoid offending her parents’ sensibilities. Caernes couldn’t help the sigh that escaped him as he lowered his raised arm to rest, innocently, he hoped, against her waist.

A large-framed book appeared in front of him, hovering in air, pages fluttering open. A “coffee-table” book, full of beautiful landscape photographs and pictures of wildlife. There seemed to be no real theme to the book; some rainforest images were followed by deserts, followed by underwater oceanic scenes and artic wastes. The pages turned leisurely at Vanny’s silent command, and Caernes settled in to enjoy the peace of the moment with her.

After a while though, he couldn’t resist his curiosity. He looked back carefully to where Hades and Persephone sat companionably on their couch; he couldn’t help but notice that Persephone’s body was curled against Hades’ side in an exact mirror image of his own Vanny. Cigar smoke curled languidly above her head, and the King’s free hand – the one not wrapped fluidly around his wife’s body – held a paperback novel open where both of them could see.

Caernes wondered how they could see, as there didn’t seem to be a reading light conveniently positioned behind or beside that couch.

Which had him wondering how he could see the images on the glossy pages in front of him so clearly.

_Ah, I missed that lamp when I came in_; he finally spotted the lamp with flexible arms that had a bulb angled just right to illuminate the book Vanny kept suspended in front of his body.

He also caught sight Noreptes and Lukenia against the far wall, hunched over a drafter’s table, pencil shavings scattered around their two stools and a desk lamp sharply bent to illuminate their work.

And there was Melarebus, in another of the leather chairs, almost hidden in shadow against a darkened bookcase. His head was reclined back, black-enclosed spidery hands folded together over his navel, white hair falling messily over the high – but not high enough – back of the chair. His eyes were closed, and his chest moved gently in what seemed peaceful sleep.

Until the pink glow of his eyes snapped Caernes’ gaze away.

_Dammit. I could have sworn he was asleep._

Vanny felt him flinch and squeezed his hand gently where she held it in his lap. He returned the touch, and bent his head to place a light kiss on the top of her head. He locked his eyes back on the book before them, determined to play the innocent boyfriend enjoying some quiet time with his girlfriend’s family, even if his heart was pounding with the adrenaline coursing through him at being caught by those pink, glowing eyes.

After a while, he felt himself relaxing in the quiet of the den.

_I suppose I could get used to this. It’s not so bad here, really. It’s quiet. It’s never this quiet in Olympus. Even the libraries up there aren’t quiet. You can still hear traffic and birds and all kinds of stuff. _

_It’s quiet here…._

He didn’t realize he’d been drifting off until a phone buzzed somewhere in the room. Persephone, startled from her contemplation of the page she’d been reading, clawed in the pocket of her jeans for the annoying little box.

“Oh. It’s Hecate.” She sat up a little straighter, uncurling from her husband’s side. “Hey, girl, what’s up? Yeah, he’s here. Oh, no, it’s okay, I think he might have left his phone in the car.”

Caernes pulled his hand from Vanny’s grip to smack himself theatrically on the forehead, shooting a sheepish grin at Mrs. Persephone’s pink face.

“Yep, that’s what happened. You wanna talk to him? No, no. Um, well, sure, but are you – Okay, I did _not_ need to hear that! Fine, fine. Yeah. Bye, you goof!”

Smashing a finger on the phone, she ended the call. A bright blush rose into her cheeks. “Your mom wants you to stay here tonight.” She looked at her husband, the blush deepening in color. “They want some alone time.”

Hades burst out laughing, great gasping belly-laughs that rocked the couch back on two of its feet. Persephone was flung onto his chest, squealing and smacking at him ineffectually as he lurched forward, bringing the couch back onto all fours with a crash.

“YOU SHOULD SEE YOUR FACE, SWEETNESS!”

“Hades, stop it!”

The King’s booming laughter died as a scraping crash echoed through the room. Noreptes and Lukenia stomped out, shooting venomous glares at their father, their arms full of pencils, paper, and metal architect’s tools. One of the stools was still rocking from where it had been shoved violently under the edge of the drafter’s table.

“Well, I guess I did it that time,” Hades said, starting to chuckle again as the twin pairs of footsteps disappeared farther down the hall. Two doors slammed, one right after the other, and he hunched his shoulders at the echoing thuds.

“They’ll forgive you in the morning. They always do.” Still perched on her husband’s lap, Persephone tried unsuccessfully to pat her hair back into some semblance of decorum. “Well, Caernes, I suppose we should show you to your room.”

“I’ll do it, Mother. The guest room’s on the way to mine.”

“Fine, Arry. Don’t forget to make sure –“

“Sheets, pillows, towels, directions to the bathroom. Got it.”

“Okay. Breakfast is at 7, Caernes.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Persephone. And thank you both for, um, sanctuary tonight.”

Suppressed chuckles and snickers followed him as he walked toward the hallway, trying to keep the silent giant in sight. Before he got clear of the room, however, he heard pattering feet and turned back just in time to catch Vanny as she launched herself into his arms.

“Seriously, you were gonna leave without saying goodnight?”

“Sorry, Vanny.” He bent his head, placing a quiet kiss on her forehead. “Good night, butterfly.”

He felt her wings stir the air around his arms, and she squeezed his chest tightly before he loosened his grip, letting her slide to the floor.

Turning, he fled the room once more.

Melarebus stood at the end of the hall, pink eyes glowing in the shadows while his pale hair and paler face hovered like moonlight against the wall.

Lengthening his stride, Caernes caught up to the being – he could _not _bring himself to call Arry a boy, no matter the actual age – and fell into step as Arry flowed into motion down the next hall. Caernes wondered suddenly how he had missed that Arry was barefoot under the hems of his long, flowing pants.

Were they pants? It almost looked like a one-piece outfit: a tight-fitting tunic that flared past the hips into full skirts or overlapping flaps.

Whatever it was, it defied all logic and fashionable understanding. And Caernes was usually so proud of his fashion sense. Whatever this huge being was wearing, it would never be found on a rack or by custom design in any shop in any realm.

Realizing that Arry was watching him as he stared at those pale feet darting in and out of view, Caernes felt his mouth go dry. “Um, sorry. Didn’t realize you were barefoot earlier.”

“You had other things on your mind, I suppose. A lack of pants, for one.”

Jerking his gaze to Arry’s face, he felt all that territorial and defensive rage clawing in his chest again. He saw the glitter of humor in Arry’s eyes, though, and pushed it all down.

“Yeah. Lack of pants kinda demands more attention, I guess.”

A hollow chuckle answered him.

_Jeez, how long is this hall?!_

“Here we are.” One silky glove darted forward, catching the handle of a door on the left. Caernes lurched to a stop to avoid ramming the arm stretched across the hall in front of him. “Sorry, Caernes. I should have warned you.”

“It’s okay, kid.”

The door swung open to reveal a room styled much the same as the rest of the house. Dark blues and blacks dominated, but a few lighter tones were present: the heather-grey of the curtains against the tall picture-windows, the vase on the nightstand that glittered with dew-kissed white hyacinths.

Melarebus somehow squeezed past Caernes without even brushing his sleeve, entering the room silently. He pulled open one door of an antique armoire, revealing a couple of thick, plushy robes hanging within, as well as stacks of grey and black towels and washcloths.

“Sheets on the bed, pillows on the bed, towels here.” Walking across the length of the room, the being’s long-fingered hand turned a black-iron knob on a nearly-invisible door. “Bathroom through here. Did I miss anything in my duties as host?”

Caernes finally crossed the threshold. “Nope, don’t think so. Thanks, man.”

“My pleasure.” The smile that lifted those thin lips was in no way ironic. “Have a good night. I wouldn’t go wandering if I were you. Cerberus may like you a little better now, but he’s still quite the guard dog.”

“Got it. No wandering. On my honor.”

Pink eyes flared. “And he may not be the most dangerous thing roaming the halls at night.”

Caernes could have sworn his heart stopped for a few seconds as Melarebus walked into the hall, pulling the door closed behind him.

Eyeballing the dull red lines of the digital clock on the bedside table, Caernes wondered how on earth he was gonna be any kind of presentable and capable in the morning. He needed sleep. He had to drive Vania and himself back to Olympus, and that only after he continued to impress her family so he could be confident they would tolerate his continued courting of the beautiful woman he loved.

He needed sleep.

But here he was, staring at red lines that blurred as his eyes dried out from exhaustion, lines that read 2:07.

Worst.

Numbers.

Ever.

_Gah. Fates and Titans, I’m well and truly screwed if I don’t get to sleep. _

_Not supposed to wander the halls. _

_But I’m a little thirsty._

_Sucking water from the tap in the bathroom ain’t wandering the halls. Maybe that’ll do it. _

Flinging the sheets off his body, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, bare feet arching against the cold stone of the floor.

_Rugs would be nice. _

_I wonder if Vanny has rugs in her room. Plushy, shaggy faux-fur rugs, in bright colors. Sedate, subtly patterned wool ones that match her skin and hair. _

_Get it together, man. Water. Bed. Sleep._

Moving quietly to the door, he groped a little in the dim moonlight for the knob. He went into the bathroom, not even bothering to find the light switch. That would only wake him up more. Fluttering fingers found the knobs, and cool water met his hands as he cupped them beneath the flow. He grimaced for the pipe-y taste of the water, but it actually wasn’t half-bad.

Satisfied, he wiped his chin and hands on the fluffy towel on the corner of the vanity and walked back into the main part of the room. He slipped the door closed behind him and eased his way back to the bed. Bending over, he reached one hand for the sheets and the other for the pillow, shifting and adjusting both to comfortable satisfaction as he climbed onto the mattress.

_That’s more like it_.

Somehow, the mouthful of cool water had settled him. He felt fuzzy waves of sleepiness making their way up his body, from his toes to his waist and on toward his head.

That is, until the slight creak of a door somewhere in the hall outside his room startled him back to heart-pounding wakefulness.

Senses honed by years of training sharpened; he could almost hear the gears of instinct in his brain turning, assessing possible threats and options to deal with them.

A black blob of shadow passed through the moonlight on the floor outside the door into his room.

A black blob of shadow, with two moon-pale oblong shapes within its compass.

Arry.

Oddly enough, his heart didn’t slow as he made the connection.

_He’s twelve. I don’t care that he’s six-foot-whatever and somehow a King of something or other. He’s twelve. He shouldn’t be awake at 2 and change in the morning. _

Sheets slung back again. Pillow thumped onto the floor. Robe snatched off the post at the foot of the bed. Sleeves tangled, trapping his arms. Sash finally tied.

Caernes walked to the door into the hall, opening it silently just a few inches, enough that he could see Arry when he came back down the hall. Leaning against the wall with his arms folded, Caernes waited for his prey.

Minutes went by. The cold of the floor seeped through his bare feet, chilling him to the bone.

He glanced at the clock again.

2:21.

Terrible, terrible numbers.

Caernes gave it another couple of minutes.

2:25.

Wherever the twerp was, it wasn’t worth losing more sleep. Caernes turned back the bed.

He was about to untie the robe at the corner post again when he remembered he hadn’t closed the door.

“Dammit.”

Pivoting on one heel, he lost his balance and snagged hold of the post for dear life.

Smoke and mist rose in waves around Melarebus where he stood Titan-like in the doorway.

The pale face tilted to one side. “Your door was open. Did you need something?”

Gasping for breath and scrambling back to some semblance of upright dignity, Caernes shook his head. “No, actually, um, I heard you moving down the hall, and I was having trouble sleeping anyway, so I was gonna ask you what you were doing out of bed so late. Or, um, early.”

“It’s my home, Caernes. I’m allowed to be up whenever I choose.”

Gulping back a hysterical laugh that made no sense, Caernes wondered if he was digging himself a deep, deep, cold grave. The mist began rolling towards him, but Arry didn’t seem to notice. Or care. Caernes held his ground. “I just meant, you’re twelve, right? Shouldn’t you be asleep?”

Those terrifyingly blank pink eyes closed, the muscles clenching around them. Caernes saw those sharp lines of shoulder muscles drift upward, then back down, repeating the motion. Caernes realized that Arry was taking a couple of deep, calming breaths.

The mist recoiled a little, stopping its forward progress toward Caernes and the bed.

“No. I don’t sleep. Haven’t for years. I was getting a new book from the library. All the excitement earlier made me forget I would need a fresh one tonight.” Caernes finally noticed the large, black-leather bound book tucked against Arry’s side. And the pale white hand holding it there.

“Um. Forgive me. That sounds rough. But, um, weren’t you wearing gloves earlier?”

“You ask a lot of questions, Caernes. Maybe you should take your own advice and go to sleep.”

Caernes inhaled sharply. Hissing the words out between his teeth, he glared the Titan down: “I’m allowed to ask questions. I’m dating your sister. She hardly ever talks about you, and you go around acting all mysterious. _Of course, I’m gonna ask questions!_”

Melarebus grew as still as a stone. The mist even seemed to freeze in mid-writhe. A breath of cold wind brushed the back of Caernes’ neck.

_Shit. I’m dead._

_So. Very. Dead. _

He opened his mouth to apologize, to say anything to break this terrifying silence.

But then Arry closed his eyes and seemed to collapse in on himself. The book was moved to the front of his chest, and Arry bent his long body over it, pale hair falling forward in messy locks to hide his face. “I’m sorry. I’ll leave you alone.” The voice was so quiet, it nearly faded into the mist that was now drifting slowly again in roils along the floor.

Caernes almost didn’t feel himself moving, but then he was there, in the doorway, reaching out, his blue-purple hand looking nearly black in the darkness of the hall, no matter the moonlight. He caught hold of the skin-tight fabric of Arry’s sleeve, halfway between shoulder and elbow, and felt his mouth form the word he needed to say. “Wait.”

Arry stopped, and Caernes felt a slight tremble go through the tight muscles of the arm he held.

“I didn’t mean to upset you, Arry. I really do have a few questions, but I understand if it would be hard for you to talk about them, to answer them. But I’d like to get to know you better. Since you don’t sleep, and I’m awake, could we talk a little?” Caernes released Arry’s arm, but didn’t pull away, just hovered on an angle, leaning toward the hunched figure just a few steps away.

The sadness and melancholy beating against his aura nearly crippled him.

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Thanks. You wanna come in here? I don’t wanna invade your privacy.”

“No, please, come with me.” Arry whipped around, his pink eyes wide and shining in the darkness. “I don’t mind. No one ever wants to come in my room.”

“Okay, cool. Lead the way.”

All Caernes could see was the pale locks of Arry’s messy hair floating away down the dark hall. He half-ran to catch up as a door swung open; the same slight creak that had startled Caernes before made itself heard again.

The wave of cold hit him where he stood in the hall; it rolled out of the opened door like steaming breath from the maw of a beast, but it was a cold beyond cold.

It felt like nothing could live there.

_But that can’t be, can it? There’s no ice, no frost, on anything in there. What is it, then?_

The word entered his mind, and it was like a key slipped into its matching lock.

_Void._

As Caernes stepped over the threshold, marveling at himself for not shivering uncontrollably, his mind flashed back to that previous spring. He and Vania had been working on their senior-level project for creative writing: an epic poem, a la Homer and Hesiod’s great works. They’d been looking for a metaphor for the deep blackness of space.

_“How about, ‘he looked into the abyss, the void of time’?”_

_Vanny had looked down, away, and he’d felt her aura flash out in anger. Or fear? Worry, maybe?_

_“No, I don’t think that will work. I like the abyss part, but ‘void’ doesn’t seem to fit with ‘time’.”_

_“Then, what about ‘the void of emptiness’? Or ‘the void of eternity’? I kinda like that one, I’m proud of me!”_

_Her answering grin had seemed hollow, false, like she was still worrying about something._

_“What about ‘the emptiness of eternity’? Alliteration and what have you.”_

_“Perfect! It’s perfect!” He’d scribbled down the new line, marking out the discarded renditions that included the word ‘void’. _

_Vanny had relaxed, and they’d moved on to the next stanza._

_Void, huh? That’s why she got so touchy about that line. Arry has something to do with this, whatever it is, Void. _

“Just, um, there’s a chair there. I’ll sit on the bed. Just shove the books off and make room.”

“Thanks, Arry.” Caernes weaved through the piles of papers and towers of books, dodging the stray wisps of black clothing that materialized on the dark stone beneath like apparitions from Tartarus. Reaching the chair, he chuckled over his shoulder. “I haven’t seen a bookworm’s lair like this since Mom made me take a tour of the inner workings of the Olympus Archives and Record Keepers HQ.”

Carefully snagging a stack of books in one hand, Caernes began making himself a space on the over-sized armchair. He was just moving the last of them off the chair when one rose from the top of the stack in his hands, a small cushion of grey mist cradling it gently as it floated to Arry’s outstretched hand. The pink eyes in the pale face narrowed as the book came to rest in the long fingers.

“I wondered where you had gone.” Pages flipped in a non-existent breeze. “Let me see where that one line is.” Squinting a little, Arry scanned the pages with inhuman speed. “Ah, there it is.” A black silk ribbon appeared, neatly tucking itself into the valley between the pages. The book’s covers snapped closed, and the book disappeared in a puff of mist to reappear on top of one of the stacks Caernes had already placed in gently leaning towers on the floor.

Caernes flinched away as Arry realized he had frozen, watching Arry interact with the book. The bed floomphed a little as Arry’s long frame sank onto it, one leg bending so he was sitting in a half-crossed position. Caernes bent quickly, placing the stack of books he still held next to their fellows, and he too took his seat in the now vacant chair. A small cloud of dust billowed up, and he swiped a quick hand over his face to clear his nose and eyes before he could sneeze.

“Sorry about that. The getting distracted, and the dust, I guess. I don’t use the chair often, it’s just kinda another stackable surface most of the time.”

“What line were you marking?”

“You sure that’s question number one on your list?” Arry tried to smirk, but the humor didn’t quite reach his eyes. Caernes was sure he was bracing for rejection.

“Sure, I’m curious.”

“It’s, um, it’s a book by a mortal from another land. The line I marked was just something about not giving in to every urge, unless the urge is something on which your personality is largely dependent. I’m still working through it, but I’d kinda backburnered it, and then forgot I wanted it, until I saw it on the stack you were moving.”

“That’s deep, man. You read a lot of philosophical stuff?”

Arry seemed to warm up when Caernes didn’t question the _why_ of his choice of reading material. “Yeah. I mean, I read a lot. Some fiction, but a lot of theory and thought-picking on life and stuff, too. I mean, I don’t get out much, so I try to understand what other people are going through, have gone through. It’s comforting to find solutions I might could try, even if the problems aren’t quite the same. Like tonight. I didn’t mean to get mad at you.”

Caernes staggered a little internally at the quick segue. “Naw, I geddit. I was being a pushy turd. No worries, man.”

“I do worry. You said Vanny didn’t talk about me much. Were you telling the truth?”

Caernes swallowed as quietly as he could, but he knew Arry still heard the gulp. “Yeah. I mean, at first, I asked her about you some, back when she first started coming to O-Char. But she kinda dodged a lot of my questions, so after a while, I figured she wanted to keep anybody from starting any rumors about you. I helped her, the few times some nearly got started. We put a stop to ‘em right quick.”

“What did you ask her about me, back then?”

“Um, what kindsa things you liked to do. How your schooling was going. If she thought you’d ever come to school in Olympus, too. That was pretty much it.”

“Well, I like reading. A lot. I like chess, but I’m not nearly as good at it as Noree and Lukee and Mother. My schooling has been pretty standard for a shut-in; I’ve got all my reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic down pat.” Caernes chuckled at the joke, trying to encourage the kid to continue. “I’m pretty much self-study these days. Which pretty much means I’m working my way through the entire library. Oh, I am learning some ancient languages.”

“Yeah? I tried my hand at Egyptian, once; not the greatest choice for a block-fingered numbskull like me. I gave it up when I said I wanted to f**k the cat instead of pet it.”

Arry threw back his head, hissing a laugh through his teeth. When he reined his breath in enough, his eyes were shining with laugh-tears and his smile was like the sun rising on a white-sand beach in spring.

“I can see why you would give it up. Um, I’m learning the Old Tongue, for one thing.”

“You mean the Original? Gaia and Oranus’ language?”

“Yeah. It’s great! It’s like, um, liquid starlight and rivers of magma. It’s gorgeous and powerful, and just, yeah. I love it.”

“Dude, say something.”

“Okay. Um, hang on. _Khallial_.”

“Whoa, that’s cool. What’s it mean?”

“Something.”

Caernes just stared at him. “Dude. You’re quick.”

Arry smiled again. “I try.”

“But you say you’re not that good at chess? I don’t believe it.”

“Well, I do alright against Papa, but Noree and Lukee and Mama are beyond good. It’s a little depressing trying to play them. Mostly, the rest of us just place bets when they get going.”

“Sounds like a hell of a party.”

“It’s pretty cool…. Um, I’m also learning some… Titan.”

Caernes felt his heart stutter a step or two. “Really? Um, this is gonna sound crass, but why? Why learn it, when no one alive speaks it anymore?”

Arry looked at the book he still cradled on his lap, the one he’d gone to the library for earlier in the night. “Because I already know it. I just don’t know all the words in our regular language.”

Blood pounded in his ears, and his lungs felt too shallow, thin in his chest as he heard Arry speak. Licking his lips, Caernes tried to form the words. “You mean, you instinctively recognize Titanspeech?”

“Yeah.” Arry stared into Caernes’ eyes from his place in the shadows on the bed. “I just can’t always translate it correctly. Some of the words don’t exist anymore, so I have to use substitutes.”

“That’s not possible. Only Titans, real Titans, ever knew their own language. It’s like Twinspeak to the mortals. Theirs. No one else’s.”

“Yeah, I know.”

_Holy shit. I was only calling him a Titan ‘cause he’s so huge. _

_That’s why Vanny’s been so hush-hush all these years. _

_Why I had to beg for months to get an invite here._

_Her baby brother is a Titan. He’s a god, he’s a King of whateverthehell the Void is, and he’s a Titan._

_Fates help me. What do you say to a young Titan who just trusted you with the secret of his existence?_

“Well, um. That makes a little more sense to me now. Um. Thank you. For trusting me.”

Arry looked away, eyes slightly dimmed as the lids drifted half-closed. “You’re the first person outside the family to know.”

_Shit. I better do this right. Come on, diplomatic liaison internship summer camp!_ “I’m honored. I won’t betray your trust.”

One pink eye looked back at him through a curtain of milky hair. “Thanks.”

“No worries.” The quiet made itself known with a vengeance. “So, um, what did you pick up from the library tonight?”

“Oh. It’s _A History of the Peloponnesus, As Told by the Fishermen, Shepherds, and Merchanters of the Region._”

“Seriously? You go from existential hedonistic loyalties to ‘our land is the best, here’s why, love the tradesfolk’? That’s some eclectic taste, my dude.”

A half-grin twisted Arry’s lips. “It’s not that bad. The people who truly know a land, a region, a kingdom, are the people that live and work there. And fishermen, shepherds, and traveling traders come to an intimate understanding of the lands and waters in their care. In their own way, they are kings and lords over their spaces. Their viewpoints are as valid as a god’s.”

“So, you’re reading it for the specifics of the Pelo, or for the heart-warming musings of a white-bearded salty?”

“Neither. I’m reading it for the wisdom of the white-bearded salty. There’s little to warm the heart in a broken-down fisherman’s senile ramblings.”

“If he’s senile, how can he impart wisdom?”

“From the mouths of babes and the lisps of the broken come impartial, eternal truths.”

“Tell me that’s one of yours.”

“Nope.”

“Then who? Cause that’s a good one, dude.”

A smug smirk. “The white-bearded, senile salty.”

Rolling into bed with a groan, Caernes squinted at the red lines of the clock.

2:45.

_Come again?_

He leaned over the edge, checking the cable where it disappeared into the socket in the wall.

_No kinks, no loose plug. _

He stared at the screen for another few seconds.

2:46.

_No way. We talked for at least an hour. Come on, Caernes. Think. There’s an explanation. _

_Okay. Option 1. I dreamed the whole thing. _

_Possible. But not likely. My dreams are never this detailed. _

_Option 2. Arry put a spell on me._

_Not likely in the slightest. I’ve got shields for that. Yep, ring still there, and chain on my neck still there. Them shields can’t break. Mama made sure of that. Not a spell then._

_Option 3. Somehow, time ceased to mean a thing when I went through Arry’s door. _

_But that’s not possible. Can’t be. _

_But there wasn’t a single clock in his room. _

_And the cold – no, remember, the Void – once I walked out of his door and down the hall, I did feel like I lurched a little. Slid a little. But I didn’t actually slide or slip on the floor. Bare feet for the win. _

_So, maybe. Maybe he stopped time, or his, um, presence altered time without him realizing it. _

_I mean, who knows what a Titan can actually do? They’ve been dead and gone for two thousand years. _

_And now one’s alive. _

_He’s actually a Titan. _

_Wow. _

_I have a Titan for a friend…._

Loud banging on the door to the room sent Caernes thrashing upright, tangling his legs in the sheets as he flailed. Crashing to the floor, he shouted at the door.

“WHAT IN HELL IS GOING ON?!”

“Are you decent, Cae?”

_Vanny?!_

“BLOODY NOT!”

“Well, breakfast is in five. Get decent and get your butt out here! Pancakes and eggs!”

He heard light skipping steps moving down the hall.

_She’s waaaay too chipper in the morning_.

_I could get used to that. _


	18. Propositions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another few years have passed. Vania and Caernes have both graduated college. 
> 
> Everyone's been expecting it. It's time for Caernes to make his intentions known.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please enjoy!
> 
> Comments and constructive feedback appreciated!

“I don’t know about this, Kore. I don’t know if I’m ready for this.”

“Oh hush, you big blue baby. Everybody goes through this.” Her small fingers pinched and plucked at his collar, settling the black bowtie into perfect place against the hollow of his throat. “Besides, he’s got it worse than you. I didn’t have a father for you to beg for my hand. You had to just swallow your fear and ask me. He’s gotta do that, after he asks you!”

“But, sweetness –“

“No. No buts. Not one, if you want this one tonight.”

With that, she turned on her heel, swishing her hips so the pale-blue tulip-shaped skirt she wore swung invitingly around her knees. She walked out of the room, and he knew she was sauntering away down the hall, fully intending to avoid him so he would leave the house.

“Devil-woman, I swear….”

Running the steel comb through his hair once again, he looked in the mirror over his black-marble sink.

“She’s right, though. Get your shit together, Hades. You like the boy. You know he’s a good sort. And you know Vanny likes him. L-loves him.” _Gulp_. “You knew this was coming. You knew when they graduated last month. Honestly, it’s about time.

“Sooner, the better.

“It’s all part of growing up. And your little girl is grown up.”

Sighing, the King of the Underworld composed his face into regal lines of serene acceptance. Long strides took him out of the bathroom, nearly floating, so smooth were his powerful steps, as he went down the hallway to the door into the garage. The keys to his black Aston coasted into his outstretched hand as he passed the bowl on the buffet-cabinet next to the door.

Persephone’s pink eyes peeked around the doorframe between the kitchen and dining room as the door drifted closed behind her husband’s broad shoulders. “That’s my King.”

Caernes brushed a hand over his hair for the fifth time in as many minutes as he sat at the small square table in a corner of the restaurant. It was dimly lit, as were most businesses in the Underworld, but the décor was still tasteful and chic. He saw a few couples out for a romantic evening scattered through the other shadowy alcoves of the place, and more than a few bundles of businessmen and businesswomen in carefully tailored suits and coats, conducting realm-altering trades of stock and networking liaisons over white wine and scotch.

And here he was, sitting alone, waiting for the King of the Underworld to arrive, so he could ask the God of the Dead for his eldest daughter’s hand in marriage.

_He can’t be oblivious. He has to know why I asked him to meet me. He’s not blind. _

_But what if he doesn’t know? And I have to explain?!_

_No. He’s not stupid. And he’s not cruel. He wouldn’t do that to me. _

_But what if he does?_

_Okay, Caernes. Just suck it up, man. It’s time. It’s totally time. It’s the right time. _

_‘Cause Vanny will absolutely murder me if I don’t ask tonight. _

_Fates, I love her. _

_And ain’t that all that matters…?_

A hush descended over the restaurant, starting at the front door and slowly weaving its way toward the back corner where Caernes sat, sweat breaking out on his brow. He spotted the white hair of his guest over the partitions dividing booths from their neighbors.

_I love her. He respects that. _

_I’m not gonna die tonight. _

He rose to his feet as the King of the Underworld came into sight around the last mahogany barrier.

“Mr. Hades, thank you for coming.”

“My pleasure, Caernes. I must admit, I haven’t dined here before. I’m delighted for the opportunity.”

Caernes extended his right hand, giving a firm shake to the King’s large blue one. He suddenly realized, even after all the times they’d shook in greeting and parting over the last four years, that his hand and the King’s were the same size.

He felt tears clog his throat for a moment without a clue why.

He took his seat as the King did. The waiter stood at the corner of the table, politely turning his shoulder to Caernes as he awaited the King’s drink order first.

“Oh, please, Caernes first. He’s had a little longer to look at the options than I.” The King pulled his glasses from his breast pocket and disappeared behind the leather-backed folder.

The waiter turned on his heel, pivoting neatly toward Caernes.

“Oh. I’ll just have a scotch, neat. Thank you.”

“You know, I think I’ll take the same,” the King said with a slightly perked eyebrow at Caernes. As the waiter strode smoothly away from their table, he chuckled a little. “I knew Ares likes his ale; I just assumed you’d share his taste.”

“No, sir. Mother doesn’t partake at all, but she encouraged me to try anything _but_ ale. She said there’s nothing a woman dislikes more in the morning than stale-ale on the air.”

“Ah, good old Hecate. Blunt and to the point, as always.”

“Yes, sir. I assume you’re curious as to why I asked to meet you.”

“Now, now, son. All things in time.” One black eye was concealed behind a blue lid for a heartbeat as the King turned to the waiter, returning at a steady clip with their drinks.

“Sire, the chef would like me to personally extend his appreciation at your presence in our restaurant this evening. He highly recommends the filet, though the venison is also quite delectable. If you are in the mood for a lighter meat, we have a salmon in a light white wine sauce this evening.”

“That all sounds quite good. What do you think, Caernes?”

Swallowing down nerves and willing away the sweat again, Caernes turned to face the waiter. Somehow, he knew this was a test. “I personally would be delighted to try the venison. I have also heard great things about the sous chef’s crème soup.”

“An excellent pairing, sir. Sire, would you like the same?”

“I think I would. Thank you.”

“Of course. Please enjoy.”

A basket containing a cloth bundle of breadsticks appeared on the table, and the waiter made a studied retreat behind a false-wall into the kitchen.

“Nicely done, Caernes. It’s always in good form to spread honor around when dealing with subordinates.”

“Thank you, sir. I’ve learned from the best.”

“Really? I remember Ares as always being rather crass. He’s more likely to get absolutely smashed with the footmen as he is to entertain from a high table or dine in a place like this.”

“As you say, sir. But, I was actually referring to my mother, and yourself.”

The King lifted his scotch to his lips, swirling it slightly before taking a sip.

“You’re good, kid.”

Caernes lifted his glass in a salute before downing a healthy swig himself.

“So, you’re officially a graduate of Olympus U. With honors and full laurels, no less. What do you plan to do with your education, son?”

Placing his glass in exactly the same spot he’d retrieved it from, Caernes leaned back in the booth, flinging one arm along the top rail in studied nonchalance. “Well, I’ve considered seeking an internship as a young diplomat. I considered the temple circuit, you know, hearing the complaints and requests of mortals for the various gods and goddesses; but, I think my skills would be better suited to dedicated service in one sector, or to one being. I work better if I have a more thorough invested interest in my employment.”

“Don’t we all?” The King chuckled lightly as he continued swirling the amber liquid in his glass.

“Yes, sir. I just think it’s better to find something a little more stable sooner, rather than later. Makes things more familiar.”

“I see. Stability. Familiarity. Commitment.”

Caernes couldn’t quite stop his swallowing reflex as he realized he was caught.

“Yes, sir. Especially commitment.”

The waiter suddenly appeared beside the table, a round tray with heavy china plates balanced easily in one flat hand. Another waiter zoomed in, flicking open the foldable stand, and then moving back to stand at attention while their waiter lowered the tray with a flourish.

“Here we are, Sire, my lord. The chef’s venison, glazed with honey and plums. This is paired with a rainbow carrot and beet slaw, as well as dressed greens and hominy. The sous chef’s crème soup this evening is lightly flavored with olive oil and ginger, and pairs well with the scallops nested to the side. Please, enjoy.”

Each plate was laid before the King and Caernes with pomp, and then like dew before the sun, the waiters, tray, stand, and all melted away without a sound. Somehow, Caernes saw, his glass had also been topped off in the flurry.

“This looks divine. Well chosen, Caernes.” The King brandished knife and fork, slicing the venison into thin strips.

Caernes followed suit, silently.

All things in time, after all.

The plates had been whisked away as quickly as they had appeared; folded bills and brilliant coins had been pressed into subtly-closed hands, with quietly whispered instructions indicating what denomination went to the chef and sous in the kitchens. Brilliant smiles from the waiter and his assistant thanked the King and the young lord, and a bottle half-filled with amber scotch was left on the table for the two to enjoy for as long as they chose. A decanter of ice water and two fresh glasses also rested on the table, for sobering up later on.

Caernes filled his glass with more golden liquid, mentally reminding himself that this would be his final glass. It was past time to make his request, gain his answer, and then sober up and leave before he made a fool of himself.

Three scotches were his limit.

_Wait, have I already had three? No, this is three. Right?_

_Oh well. This is three. It’s decided._

“Mr. Hades, I’d like to speak to you about something important.”

“I had determined that a divine meal such as this in an elegant place such as this was no small attempt at flattery on your part in prelude to you requesting something important. Please continue.”

Caernes mentally stumbled a little.

_He’s had more than me, but I couldn’t pull that much dictionary-wielding off right now._

_Crap._

“Yes, sir. I am sure it’s not passed you by that I am very fond of your daughter, Vania.”

“Oh, be assured, Caernes; I’m well aware.”

“And she’s quite fond of me, too.”

“I had gathered that.”

“Well, sir, we’ve, um, both graduated.”

“I do remember.”

“And, I think it’s time I just came right out and said it. I know she wants me to, to ask, and Fates, I’m just gonna ask!”

“Then ask, son.”

Caernes felt his face go slack. The King’s eyes were soft, and the smile on his lips was gentle.

_He knows. He’s gonna say yes._

_I can do this. _

“Sir, I love Vania. I’ve loved her for years. Since we met on her first day at Olympus Charter nearly ten years ago. I want to spend the rest of eternity at her side. I ask your blessing for me to ask for her hand in marriage.”

Caernes sucked in a breath, felt the alcohol in his head clear out a little as he waited in suspended panic for the King’s next words.

Hades sighed, a long, slow breath of released tension.

“You have it, son. I wish you happiness, and many years of it. Do you have a ring yet?”

Stunned, Caernes nodded his head, fumbling into the pocket at his waist where the little rounded box had been stabbing him for hours. He placed it between them, in the exact center of the table, and moved his hands into his lap, silently granting permission for the God of Wealth to open it.

Hades couldn’t hide the tremble in his fingers as he gently pried the lid of the box open.

The wine-colored gems were cut so elegantly that when the light hit the facets in just the right way, the shape of butterfly wings sparkled out in rays of prismatic light. The vined patterns holding the stones in place were exquisitely detailed: he could see leaves of twining ivy mingled with hellebore petals and peach blossoms. The strands of the vines twisted down beneath the settings, becoming a braided band that looked sized perfectly for Vania’s slim fingers. The height of the setting would not be an encumbrance, but was just bold enough to stand out, no matter what other jewelry she chose to wear.

Then Hades realized the band and wires of the setting were not actually gold, but pewter. A dull silver, almost tarnished in look, but smoother than silk to the touch of his finger.

“Pewter? Why?” He didn’t even try to mask the rumble of building indignation in his voice.

“She loves it. I asked her once, and she said it’s because gold looks washed out on her skin, and silver is just too bright, but pewter is bold without being brash, with that same silver tone underneath. She loves pewter. Believe me, the jeweler thought I was crazy, too. I promise, it’s not a comment on my lack of love. It’s because I love her, I wanted her to be happy with the ring. Pewter. It’s what she wants.”

The confidence and passion in Caernes’ voice melted away the anger. “Forgive me. I’ve never paid much attention to the jewelry my daughter wears. Come to think of it, the last pair of earrings I remember on her were pewter-based. My apologies, Caernes.”

“It’s alright. It shouldn’t matter; but I do worry people will think I’m stinting on stuff like this. Like I’m a cheapskate or something. But it’s exactly what she wants, the kinds of things she likes, and that’s what I try to remember. It’s for her. That’s all that matters.”

“And that’s the truth of married life. It’s for her. You’ll do fine, son. Just fine.”

Caernes turned his empty glass upside down, reaching for the little velvet box.

Hades pulled both water glasses toward himself, pouring the water gently to avoid the clinking of the ice. Sliding one across the table to Caernes, he raised his own, like a toast.

Caernes matched the move, and both men silently drained their glasses to their love of Vania.


	19. Declarations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's finally time.
> 
> The question needs to be asked.
> 
> You know the one we mean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning!
> 
> This chapter contains both rather innocent love-stuff, and more explicit sexual content. 
> 
> The plot-necessary love-stuff comes at the front. Suitable for all ages. 
> 
> The explicit sexual content comes after. Mild bondage, mild domination, mild aggression and animalistic behavior. 
> 
> If I need to, I'll change the tags, but the whole work, as a whole, is still gonna be rated M. I think it was just time for one little smexy chapter segment, to try my hand at it. (Therefore, constructive comments and feedback appreciated.)
> 
> Enjoy, my lovelies!

Caernes lurched out of the car door, careening around it to slide across the slick hood, hearing Vania giggle in the passenger seat. Feet skidding in the gravel, he landed on the other side, hands tugging at the hem of his vest and shirt where they had rode up above his waist. Satisfied, he bent in a courtly manner, fingers wrapping gently around the handle.

The door swung open, and his other hand reached in supplication for Vania’s slender fingers.

Obliging her blue goof of a boyfriend, Vania suppressed another fit of mirth, instead smiling broadly and batting her lashes at his chivalry as she placed her fingers in his palm. She melted a little inside as he visibly lost his train of thought at the sight.

“My lady, will you join me for a stroll by the river?”

“Of course, my good sir.” She let him take most of her weight as she rose to her feet, loving the feel of his muscles bunching and tensing as he supported her. She gave a breathless squeal as he continued pulling, swinging her easily through the air around his body before settling her against his right side. She felt the air drag against her wings and knew that if the moon would just come out from behind the clouds, they’d be mistily visible against the pale light.

His gliding walk led them along the high bank, slow, steady, matching the pace of the river below.

“Styx sure outdid herself tonight.” Vania loved the dark beauty of the river, the flowing curls obviously extensions of the nymph-queen’s locks. “Just look at the moonshine on the rocks.”

“It is quite beautiful, but not half so much when you stand beside her.”

Vanny felt the blush creep into her cheeks; no matter how many times he pulled romantic crap like this on her, she never lost the fluttery feeling in her stomach. Knowing he loved her blushing nervousness, she turned her face to him, smiling thanks at the compliment.

“I love you, so much, Caernes. Thank you for bringing me here tonight. I know you’ve had a long day job-hunting.”

“Not so long. And, I’m sorry to confess, but I wasn’t job-hunting today.”

“No? Did you find something?”

“I found something.”

“Where will you be working, then?”

“Oh, it’s not a job I found.”

She just raised one eyebrow at him, glaring slightly through a curl of her hair.

“Then what, pray tell, did you find?”

“If you must know –“

“I do, I insist.”

“– Courage. I found courage today.”

He stopped walking, and Vania felt her heart give a solid _thump_ in her chest.

_He can’t be. He can’t mean –_

“Vania, princess of the Underworld, daughter of the King and Queen, I have loved you all my life. Never has another so thoroughly entranced, bewildered, ensnared and ensorcelled me with her beauty and grace and wit and charm. I sleep at night to thoughts of your face, and wake in the morning to dreams of your incredible self. I find myself utterly lost in your eyes when you look at me, and yet I know I am found when you grace me with your gentle touch.”

“Oh, Caernes….”

One knee lowered to the rocky ground. Yellow eyes locked on hers, blinking slowly through thick purple lashes as the hand not holding her own reached into the breast pocket of his grey waistcoat.

A blue-black velvet box appeared, cupped like an egg in his palm.

“Vania, I would be the luckiest, happiest man in the cosmos if you would grant me the honor of standing by your side and in your heart for an eternity of time. I ask you, my lovely butterfly:

“Will you marry me?”

The lid of the box floated open, revealing the ring nestled carefully within.

“Oh, Caernes….”

She realized he was staring at her, waiting, expecting –

What?

“OH! Yes, Caernes, yes! I will!”

The hand on hers gave a gentle squeeze, almost involuntary. Then, almost without moving, he had the ring out of the box, slipping it into place on her left hand. She stared at it, the wine-colored stones shimmering like starlight in the faint moon’s rays, and the dark pewter of the setting drank the night against her skin.

“Thank you, my love.” Rising to his full height, not even brushing a hand over his knee to remove the dust, he wrapped his arms around her back, bending to bring his face closer to hers.

“I love you, Caernes,” rushed past her lips before his molded around them.

Persephone’s pink hands melted through the pale hair on Hades’ head, soothing, comforting, grounding him. His shoulders were still tensed from supporting his weight and sweat dampened the small swirls of hair in the hollows right in front of his ears. Trying to keep from panting, the King of the Underworld lay beside his wife in the enormous bed, humming quietly between half-controlled gasps as he relaxed under Persephone’s caresses.

Her quiet voice whispered against his chest, but her hands never stopped combing his hair. “You did well, Aidoneus.”

“The Queen – was pleased?”

Her small giggle made his heart do funny flips in his chest as her belly rolled against his. “Well, yes, love. Of course. But I was talking about your dinner.”

“Oh. I-I s-s-suppose.”

“Aidoneus, look at me.”

He arched his neck, bringing his head back so he could focus on her face; her huge eyes, pupils larger than usual due to their passion and the night’s darkness, drew him in like gravity wells in space, like the call of the abyss when one stands on an edge too high. Her hands closed gently on a few locks of his hair, holding him captive to her voice.

“No supposing. No doubt. You. Did. Well. You couldn’t have handled it better. I couldn’t have. Vania will be pleased. Caernes will make a perfect husband. Dare I say, as perfect as mine.”

Tears pooled in his eyes as she resumed stroking her fingers against his scalp. He eased his head forward, capturing her lips in a gentle kiss.

She broke from it, her own eyes glistening in the pale moonlight melting through the windows behind him. She tilted her head to one side, pressing her magenta curls hard into the pillow below as she eyed her husband’s face.

“What’s that smirk for?”

With his low hum changing to a deep, rumbling growl, he rolled over the top of her, pinning her wrists against the mattress. Her eyes widened as she went limp under him, feeling her chest heaving with the motion of his body positioning itself over her own.

Her breathing got deeper, just a little faster, and she felt warmth and desire pool between her legs.

“You are” – his lips caressed her neck below the ear – “without a doubt” – another kiss, in the hollow of her throat – “the most charming” – another kiss, below her other ear, a necklace of his kisses leaving marks of fire on her skin – “woman in existence.” A final kiss brushed her lips, and she lunged forward to try to catch him. His hold on her wrists made it impossible, but she tried anyway, daring him with her eyes as he pulled away.

_Tch_. “And also the most devilish.”

“Hades, don’t tea-” – her words died in her throat as his head went lower; somehow, his hands stayed in place, pinning her wrists without relief. His tongue painted patterns without meaning over her collarbone, around her breasts, and then onto the mounds of flesh. Her breaths became panting, and her attempts at speech turned into needy mewls and small cries of pleasure as he used his mouth to worship her breasts: nipples, veins, every inch of skin.

And all without releasing her wrists from their cage in his own hands.

“Ha-aades, please, touch – I need – touch me, please.”

His mouth released the nipple he’d been nearly swallowing with a _pop_.

“Is that a command, my Queen?”

Her eyes flew open.

_I love this game_.

“Yes. Your Queen does command. Release my wrists, and – um – use your hands to bring me pleasure. Along with your mouth!” She rushed through that last, nearly forgetting that he would do only what she said, exactly as she said. She had to be specific, had to say everything, before she went mindless under his touch.

“As you command, my beautiful, dark Queen.”

Her wrists felt cool when his hands released her; she wriggled as he trailed his fingers lightly down the length of each arm, tickling without meaning to as her skin became hypersensitive to the breath of a touch from him. He moved himself slowly down the bed a few feet, bringing his head back to alignment with her breasts. A warm puff of air huffed against the nipple he’d been ravishing moments before, and his teeth shone like a wolf’s fangs as it hardened visibly at the insubstantial caress.

“Though, I do wonder if that is all of me that my Queen wishes pleasure from this evening.”

“Wha…?” Her undignified response had him chuckling as he took the hardened bud back between his lips, light suction curling her toes and twisting her knees as she sought friction at the apex of her thighs. One hand kneaded the other breast and tickled the skin over her ribs; the other clawed at the bulge of her buttocks farther down.

Struggling to make her brain work, to decipher his cryptic tease, she rolled against his body, seeking more, needing more. She felt his movements stutter as she brushed against the hard length that was held tight to his stomach by his arousal.

“OH!” Breath huffed out of her as the light bulb went on in her brain, as the warm pool of desire in her belly flared into a blaze of flame and liquid lightning. She forced her breathing to calm down, so her voice would sound as sultry and sexy as she intended. “Your Queen also commands you to pleasure her with this.” She sneaked a hand down along her side until she could run her fingers in a playful touch up his hardness. Then she squeaked as he bucked, lunging into the tickling touch, a moan ripped from his throat as his jaw clenched, stopping just short of biting her nipple.

The red light from his eyes transfixed her, a twinge of soft fear sparking against her heart. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her, but the little jolt added something unexpected and _wild_ when she could draw him that close to the edge of hard need, that close to a loss of control.

“My Queen commands.” Another growl rumbled from his throat, and the red light flashed as his heart thumped, _hard_, in his chest. “Pleasure, she shall have. From all of me.”

His knees landed one after the other between her legs and he rose back, leaning on his haunches as he clawed his hands down her torso. She writhed, gasping, as the teasing touches from moments before were replaced with hard, needy movements. Possessive. Demanding.

Her King. His Queen.

One hard hand slapped onto a thigh, lifting it slightly to reveal her dripping wetness at the middle of her body. The other grasped his own erection near the base, angling the bulging head to meet those pink lips. With a groan, he sank into her, steadily, powerfully, until she felt his balls thump against her butt.

“Ha-aades, more.”

“Sweetness, if I had more, I think we’d both be dead.” His rough voice made her shudder with need.

“I meant move, you weirdo!”

“Fuuuuuck.”

“Yes, that! Now!”

A snarl ripped from him as he slung his hips back before wrenching forward again. She muffled a scream of pleasure and pain behind one hand as her body responded to his, small pulsing waves taking her over, pulling her closer and closer to the edge.

Gasping, panting, he released the thigh he clutched, falling forward as he continued thrusting at a fevered pace into her tight, pulsing heat. His hands fisted huge knots of sheet and mattress beside her body, and he felt every trickle of his self draining, pulling, drowning in the motion of his swollen length inside her body.

“Fuuuuck, Persephone. I – I need” –

“Mmmmmm, come for me, my King.”

His rhythm faltered as he felt a jolt in his stomach.

An inarticulate cry tore from him as he buried himself at her deepest point. With the sudden end of the motions, her orgasm ripped through her, leaving her twitching beneath his body as his cock pulsed, pouring himself into her. She reached up to him, stroking loving fingers down from his trembling shoulders, painting invisible marks on his skin. After a timeless while, he rocked back a little, loosening her tight walls’ grasp around his still-twitching length, and pushed himself hard with one hand to roll and flop on his back beside her.

The weight of him collapsing on the bed actually had her bouncing up and down a little, like they were on a trampoline.

She giggled as she crawled the few inches over to him, molding herself around his chest, tiny kisses marking him from one ear, around his throat, and to the other, as he had to her before.

“My King, your Queen is very pleased.”

“Happy-” *panting* “-to-” *gasping* “-be of-” *moaning* “-service.”

A satisfied humming purred from her throat as she relaxed onto him, drawing his breathing slowly down in time with her own.


	20. Thoughts in the Dark of Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Melarebus deals with some troubling thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, sorry this took so long to update! I was dealing with work and life and not knowing quite how I wanted to segue forward.   
Praise be late-night musings for inspiration!  
I owe y'all some quick age info, too. At this point, Vania and Caernes are 23. Arry is right about 16. Obviously, that makes Noree and Lukee 20 and 19, respectively. Both Noree and Lukee are out of Hades' and Persephone's home, away at college. It's just Arry and his parents at home, these days.   
This one's a little angsty, but I'm trying to get to more good shtuff!

The library door swung silently on oiled iron hinges, and Melarebus barely heard the soft click of the latch catching as it came to a rest. His hands held the large book up before his glowing pink eyes as he habitually retraced his steps, down the hall from the library, turn the corner by the den, pass the dining room, china and decorative marble candelabra quietly glinting in the moonlight behind the glass of the hutches and cabinets.

His steps faltered as he was snapped from his concentration on the faded words and sketches on the wide pages before his face.

Wide-eyed, he stared at the door on his right.

_“My King, your Queen is very pleased.”_

_….!!!!!!_

_Crap! I don’t want to hear this!!!_

Pink eyes squinted shut, and one pale bony foot took a single step forward.

The cold that wasn’t cold greeted him as he finished the stride, emerging through the Void’s edge in his own room.

Giving a shudder, he grasped a silk ribbon from the corner of a desk nearby. Actually, the corner was only barely visible under the toppling piles of scrolls and loose pages, all covered in a neat, tidy script. Words in the language only he spoke, thoughts, mindless musings marched across the sheets, waiting to be sorted and filed away on the shelf across the room that he had dedicated to his own works.

Realizing the desk was beyond disrespectful in its disarray, he resolved to set some time aside for beginning that project tomorrow night.

The thin ribbon went between the pages of the large, wide-paged book he had braved the halls for this evening, and he laid the book gently on top of a pile of similar-sized tomes. Turning to his bed, he passed his hands over the covers, fluffed the pillow slightly, and then sat on the edge.

He didn’t lay down.

_It’s not like it’s the first time I’ve heard them – gah – making out. Making – bleh – love…._

_Why do I feel so weird?_

A quiet voice, like his own, but deeper, more resonant, whispered in his mind.

_“You’re older….”_

_So? What does that have to do with anything?_

It wasn’t the first time he’d heard this voice, but it had become more frequent over the last couple of years. Arry knew people referred to “arguing with themselves” when thinking things through. He supposed that’s all this was.

He hoped.

_I really don’t see what being a few months older than the last time has to do with feeling so… I dunno… I do NOT wanna sleep with my mother!_

_“Of course, you don’t. You’re not sick like that. But you’re older. You’re old enough to want. To want what they have. To recognize what they have. They’re not just your parents. They’re two people in love, deeply, terrifyingly, heartbreakingly in love."_

_“And you want that."_

_“And you worry….”_

_I do worry…._

He took a breath, and could have sworn the voice spoke with him, at the same exact moment, as one.

_How can anyone ever love a Titan like that…?_

_“How can anyone ever love a Titan like that…?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments, Kudos, Bookmarks: All make me swoon.... 
> 
> Many thanks for sticking with my long-winded story so far!


	21. For the Love of a Butterfly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for a wedding.... :P

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know you've all been waiting for this!!!!
> 
> Please enjoy!!!!!!

The narrow valley was practically glowing in the light of the sun. The green of the grass and the speckles of wildflowers would have been overwhelming to a lone traveler or two; it was as close to something like a heaven as anyone could fathom.

But no mortal travelers would be permitted trespass in this place today.

The Queen of the Gods had made sure this quaint little place was Locked. Down. Tight.

Her heart gave a throbbing little ache as she shook her golden hair behind her head, feeling the light waves settle into the perfectly coiffed grace of the moment as she gazed out majestically over the seated crowd of gods and other favored beings. Her own Hebe and Hebe’s Aluria were there, a few rows back; Hebe gently stroked a finger against the silently-teary Aluria’s apple-plump cheek. Apollo and his wife, Maichete, were a little farther back, the willowy form of their ten-year-old daughter Arlania hidden in her father’s shadow. Everywhere Hera looked, happy families and loving couples gazed misty-eyed at friends, or family, or up, expectantly, at her place on a slight hummocky-hill before them.

_I can’t believe Zeus screwed up, again. _

It had been another nymph this time. Damn him; why couldn’t he just give her one day? One day, and she could show him _everything_ he shouldn’t feel obliged to look for elsewhere. She’d been so angry, she had told him she would strike him down herself if he showed up here today.

Thinking he’d rise to the bait.

Instead, he’d smirked, his eyes hard as stone. He’d walked away, phone out and texting some ….

She’d figure it out later.

She had a wedding to perform.

_Speaking of which…._ She saw Hermes’ bright-red form dart from behind the back rows of chairs, skidding on air as he breezed to a stop at the back end of the aisle between the ranks of immortals. He locked eyes with the Queen of Olympus, and gave a head-rattling batch of nods, a huge smile bursting over his face.

She felt her crown settle over her head, and tilting her head back, she brought her hands up from where she’d held them clasped demurely in front of her waist. At her movement, the entire assembled throng rose to their feet. The rustle of fabric and scuff of feet on the grass died to a breath-taking silence.

Hera brought her hands together, the hollow clap ringing out into the afternoon light with a flash of gold and white.

The crowd turned to face the inner aisle as the procession began.

First came Ares and Hecate, her left hand gently placed over his right, forearms matched in length if not bulk. Ares was garbed in full military kit, medals flashing and glinting on his muscled torso, the silver and leather hilt of his mighty blade peeking from over his left shoulder, clinking quietly with his heavy steps. Hecate’s gown of black silk rustled slightly, the high neckline almost seeming to melt into the coils of her hair, carefully arranged for this moment into a pile of curls and wispy strands. She could have been a vision from the depths of Tartarus, if not for the love and passion lighting her pale-yellow eyes. A pale shade of purple darkened her cheeks as a tear eased past her lashes.

The God of War and The Witch of the Crossroads took their place on Hera’s left, about five feet down the small hill, on an angle from her position. Once in place, the rumbling gasps and murmurs from the crowd swelled, just for a moment, before the immortals remembered their traditions.

For Gaia and Oranus to listen in on an event like this, for Time and Memory to record it for all eternities, silence was all but Law.

But how could anyone keep absolutely silent when they came walking in like that?

The tall, imposing figure of the King of the Underworld glided down the aisle between the gathered gods and goddesses, his spiked crown wreathed in mist as it fought to be seen in the light of this mortal realm. His black robe, artfully draped under his left shoulder and then over the right, bared the scars on the visible portion of his chest. His hair, usually cropped close behind and left playfully long in the front, was once more as long as when Hera had first seen him, so long ago; it billowed in pale strands back and away from the red thorns pinning it away from his face, above his ears.

Dark Aidoneus wanted no one to forget whose daughter was being married this day.

Next to the dread splendor of her husband, it took a moment for Persephone to be noticed. However, Hera felt the thrill of seeing the Queen of the Underworld in her full glory and honor, exactly as she had known she would.

_It’s just as I foretold, all those years ago. I saw her, like this, and now, she’s finally here._

The black gown, somehow _modern_ and traditional all at once, bared round pink shoulders and the clean lines of her neck. However, the cut of the dress was quite conservative below the collarbone, hiding what no man but the King of the Underworld would ever have leave to see again. Though form-fitting to the hips, the coils of smoke and darkness that billowed behind the pair preserved her modesty from unwanted lustful attentions. The skirts of the gown were long and full, sweeping from side to side with the movement of the Queen’s hips and thighs. Her magenta hair was also loose, matching her King’s in length and majesty as it writhed in a breeze of their own making. Blue and white petals cascaded down the billowing locks, and a trail of them marked the ground behind. Where each petal fell, a blooming plant took root, creeping upward, leaves falling open and blossoms tearing open in appreciation of the light of the sun.

Turning to Hera’s right, the monarchs took their place, darkly-mirrored images of Ares and Hecate across the base of the hill. The billowing smoke and shifting fabric of Persephone’s night-black skirts swayed for a few moments after she stopped moving. Hera raised her hands once more, but she caught the slight shift of a blue hand gently grasping a tiny pink one from the corner of her eye.

Hera brought her hands together twice, and the silence that had been restless became breathless under the sun.

He strode into view from behind the rows of chairs on the left, turning to face straight down the center aisle with a solemn, yet somehow beaming, expression on his face. His yellow eyes sparked and glowed, even in the bright light, and his chest swelled with happiness.

He took his position, close to the right side of the aisle in Hera’s view, and raised his right arm, elbow bent the perfect angle, hand providing a platform for the one he waited for.

She glided into view from behind the rows of chairs on the right, turning only once her body was past the hard line of his right side. Her left arm and hand raised, mirroring his own, as she took that single step forward, bringing her hand gently, so gently, down upon his.

The smile broke across his face at the touch; he hadn’t lasted long at all….

Neither looked at the other; both simply stepped forward, matching their strides as they paced forward to the Queen of the Gods, the Goddess of the Marriage Bed, to bind their lives for all eternities in love and passion and honor.

Hera felt the tears well in her eyes, the pain in her throat as she strove for control.

_I remember how that felt…._

_Fates, how I remember. _

Pushing her pain away, she lowered her hands to her sides as the blissful pair came to a soft, swaying stop before her, just a step below the crown of the hill. They kept their eyes locked on her face, though she could see the tremors in their bodies, craving to look, to be seen….

Hera held their stares, but she couldn’t help cataloguing the clothing they wore, the colors, the lines, memorizing it for later.

_He_ wore a sky-blue vest, held closed over his muscled torso with large wooden toggles and leather loops, arms bare in the sun. Primitive, it looked, as it should. These rites were ancient, and the man was honoring them appropriately. His pants were loose, made of a soft linen, and dark brown as the earth that sustained all life. His bare feet were comely, oddly enough, not at all gnarly as some men’s feet happened to be. They twisted slightly as he fidgeted in his nervousness against the warm soil. His cheeks were marked, carefully, with one horizontal line under his right eye, and three small vertical hatch marks at the corner of his left. The cream-colored clay was stark against his dark indigo skin.

Hera remembered the words as beautiful Metis had told them to her and all her sisters:

_“As the horizon marks an ending, so too it marks possibilities. The horizons of a man’s life begin, truly begin, when he keeps his sights on his chosen mate. Should he cherish her, his years will be long, and his eyes marked through the long nights with the evidence of laughter and tears.”_

One long line under the right eye, and three marks mimicking an older man’s laugh-lines below the corner of the left.

Hera remembered how Zeus had looked, how handsome, with those marks in pale clay on his purple cheeks….

_She_ was as regal as her birthright in a gown of palest blue, nearly milky in its shining elegance. Against her wine-dark skin and inky hair, the fabric almost glowed. It hung in soft folds against her torso, mild mimicry of a peplos in its lines, to the halfway point between her knees and feet. Her arms were also bare, soft curves and gentle lines from her shoulders to her fingertips. Her bare feet, touching the damp grass, the warm earth with composed ease. Compared to his feet, hers were miniscule, and though built for dancing, they were still as a grave in solemn dignity.

Hera held their stares, waiting, breathlessly, for the visions she prayed to Gaia would not come.

This final test, this last chance to make sure: Hera felt her pulse throb above her ears as she waited the final moments.

Not more than a minute had passed, but it felt like eons. Hera closed her eyes and lowered her head in a bow of acceptance.

When she opened her eyes again, Caernes and Vania were turned, facing each other, the tips of their fingers the only parts of them touching between their bodies, each gazing raptly into their mate’s face….

Hera held out her hands, one to either side of her body, a gesture of power and demand. Palms up, she waited, eyes still staring at the couple before her. She felt the silk ribbon melt over her left hand, placed there without any contact from his skin by Ares. She felt, in the same moment, the metal band, cool on her skin and thin as a garter belt when it settled across her right palm; however, she felt the cool brush of large blue fingers over her own as Hades gave her the power over his daughter’s happiness.

She tucked the silk ribbon beneath her belt, easily reached when it was time. She clasped the metal object in both hands; the Omega shape of the thing reminded her obscenely of narrow-banded horseshoe. She internally stamped down a hysterical giggle.

She took one step forward, demanding the attention of the man before her. He tore his eyes from his bride, defiant and barely-controlled power thrumming at the interruption before he remembered they weren’t done yet. His features softened apologetically as he lowered his chin in a nod, indicating he was ready.

The sleeveless vest he wore for a reason: this reason. Hera could not always trust a lack of vision. She’d been fooled once, long, long, long ago, by a powerfully-gifted being’s magic. The poor girl had lost her virtue and her life at that monster’s hands, and Hera had begged Hephaestus for help. This band had been his answer.

The spells woven into the gold would indicate an unfaithful soul with burning pain and branding marks; not that such a man would ever live long enough to feel the agony of his disfigurement in the face of her wrath. She’d never make the same mistake again….

Tensing her hands to snap the hinge open, she placed the arms of the artifact around the swell of Caernes’ bicep. A flick of her wrists snapped it closed, the gold biting into the skin. She saw him wince, and her heart leapt in panic.

Then she realized it was just from the pinch of the hinge.

An audible sigh of relief burst from her lungs; a low rumble of a chuckle from the King to her right had her fumbling for the ribbon at her hip.

Ribbon in one hand, she grasped Vania’s right hand with the other. Moving it to a spot in front of her, so Vania’s arm was stretched on an angle away from Caernes, she draped the middle of the light-blue ribbon over the woman’s wine-colored skin. Then Hera’s golden fingers reached for the band on Caernes’ arm, pulling it from his skin, smoothing her fingers gently over the dark lines where it had been too small for him.

Maybe Hephaestus had made it too small for a reason….

Slipping the open end of the band over her belt, she let her hips take its weight as she reached again for Caernes, grasping his left hand. She placed his hand, palm up, beneath Vania’s; golden fingers caught hold of the ribbon, bringing the ends up under Caernes’ hand and then over Vania’s again. Hera wrapped their hands a few more times, tightening slowly, until their palms met and their fingers meshed together.

Leaving the ends of the ribbon untied, she clasped their joined hands between her own, feeling the slight trembles rocking through them. She merely held them for a moment, until they looked at her. She smiled, happy to see them so overjoyed, and then she grasped the ribbon’s end as she stepped backward.

Whipping the ribbon through the air, she tossed it high as it left their skin; a burst of golden light flared, and pale grey cuckoos and doves scattered on the wind, pale blue strands of silk fluttering to the earth from their tiny claws.

Caernes lunged forward, sweeping Vania into his arms, squeezing so tightly Hera thought the girl might break. Vania captured his lips with her own, and Hera was shocked to see large shimmering shapes fanning the air from her back. She could almost see speckles, large blotches of maroon and blue and purple, but the image wavered like ripples on a burbling brook, and the sunlight drowned the image so she couldn’t be positive.

Hera jumped a little as the crowd surged to their feet, roaring and stamping approval at the newlyweds’ first, lingering, kiss….

Her eyes swept the crowd, and then she saw what she had missed before.

A ways off from the impending party in the center of the little valley, a gnarled cypress tree rose against one of the hillsides. A shadow moved in the shade beneath the twisted limbs.

A shadow, topped with moonlight.

_So, they did get him to come…._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I wanted to give y'all some fun facts. 
> 
> The ribbon thing is kind of an old "Norse" type tradition, but I just, ach, I love it so much I had to include it! See, there's a reason we call it "tying the knot." But, I dunno, it seemed silly to actually tie Caernes and Vania's hands together, so, I just made it a symbolic thing: sweet, sappy, symbolic. The triumvirate of romantic fic....
> 
> Hera's original "sacred" bird was the cuckoo. Later, it became the peacock. I dunno. Cuckoos and doves seemed cute....
> 
> Now, the golden band. This is also a sort of steal from Norse and Celtic traditions. There's this thing called a torc, which used to be used in place of wedding rings. It's a metal or leather band, usually worn around the upper arm of both man and woman. A visible mark in public that "this person's taken, hands off." I wanted to include a modified version, and another test, because Hera's a troubled soul, I think. It seemed right. 
> 
> Now, please, bear with me. The next chapter - I know where it's going, I know what has to happen, but I need to do it right. 
> 
> Because there's gonna be some pain. Some fear. And maybe a healthy dose of horror. 
> 
> Yep. Shit's about to get real........
> 
> Brace yourselves and hold on tight, mortals. Here. We. Go.


	22. Old Wounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of the wedding, Caernes revels in his happiness. Vanny goes to share some time with her lonely brother. And asks him to come back to the party with her. 
> 
> Arry accepts, and everything changes....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Mentions of violence and death-wounds. 
> 
> Also, mentions of drunken revelry.
> 
> Proceed with caution. 
> 
> Also, this one's really long. Apologies. It seemed crass to try to break it up into two, I think it needs to be one....
> 
> (Based upon prior readers' experiences, Swoonie highly recommends you devote time to read chapters 22 through 25 in one sitting. Proceed and enjoy!)

Caernes was floating….

Not literally. But Fates, he could have been. This day was everything he’d ever dreamed it would be. He felt like his heart was gone out of his chest, flitting somewhere overhead, little tiny butterfly wings pumping it around the heads of the crowd in victory laps.

Or maybe that was the wine….

He’d been careful, after the first taste, to sip slowly, gently, throughout the afternoon. It was definitely as strong as scotch, and he knew he had limits. Plus, he was definitely more than a little punch-drunk at just being there.

_Married. Married to Vania. My love…._

He caught her eye from across the square of bare earth; the grass had tried valiantly, but the pounding feet of exuberant immortals had overwhelmed the growth and nourishment spells Persephone and Demeter had poured into the soil in the preceding days. His beautiful bride, still in her pale-blue wedding gown, was gliding across the floor in the arms of her father, the King’s black himation sweeping curls of dust and smoke from the earth beneath. The lilting notes of the harps and lyres somewhere in on the fringes of the revelry paced out a stately, measured rhythm, a low heartbeat of hand drum barely heard under the murmurs of the crowd.

Caernes realized Vanny was mouthing something at him over the heads of the crowd. He tore his gaze from her chest with a startled soundless gasp.

_“Go-ooo. Da-aance. With. My-yyy. Motherrrr.”_

He nodded once as he read her lips successfully. Craning his head up, stretching onto his toes, he spotted the magenta locks of the Queen, standing near a group of goddesses talking behind their hands quietly. Though she was definitely within earshot, with the grace of a dominant monarch, she could have been carved from unhearing, unfeeling stone.

Caernes wove through the shifting bodies as quickly as he could, not running, but definitely not sedately meandering through the throng. Not more than a few moments had passed before he swept into view before his – _gulp_ – mother-in-law, and bent low into a courtly bow, head lowered in respect.

“My Queen, may I have this dance?” He tilted his neck up without straightening from his low position, nearly bent in half at the waist; he flickered his eyelashes at her, silently flirting with her as he had many times before on visits to her home.

She chuckled lightly, and he saw her relax in the familiarity of his humorous whimsy. “Of course, Caer. I’d be delighted.”

He took her hand, raising it just to the level of her eyes, supporting some of her weight through the gentle contact so that he could spin her lightly on her toes in the soft dust of the make-shift dance floor. He molded himself into position around her as she came out of the twirling movement: one hand moving to the lowest edge of her shoulder-blade, gently flicking strands of hair loose so as not to pull on her scalp; the other hand shifted to a guiding platform under her raised hand. He ducked one shoulder just slightly so she could rest her free hand there, and together they melted into the flow of the surrounding dancers.

He felt her take in a breath as they spun closer to her massive husband. He chuckled as he steered her away, teasing the Queen of the Underworld as they passed the dark figure before he even realized they were there.

“Caernes, that’s just not fair.” She pouted, and he chuckled.

“I’m no judge. I leave that to your impressive King….”

“Oh, you….”

They danced quietly for another few moments, until he could no longer stand it. He craned his neck, spotting the long white hair of the God of the Dead in the center of the space, head bent over the inky hair of his eldest child.

The hand on his shoulder reached up, tapping his cheek with insistent fingers.

“Caernes, if you steer us back over there, perhaps we could cut in. Then we’d both get what we want….” She winked at him, saucy and irreverent as his father would have been.

“As my Lady commands, so shall it be.”

He lengthened his strides, supporting more of her weight through his torso so she could glide with him. Weaving through the slowly-stepping bodies with more grace than a hunting cat, he brought them alongside, in line of sight, of the King and his daughter.

Hades’ eyes widened at the glowing apparition before him.

“My King, may I cut in?”

“Hades, may I cut in?”

Both Caernes and Persephone spoke at the same time; his bold tone and her breathy one running over one another tore giggles from Vania and low chuckles from Hades. With grace and dignity, Hades lifted Vania’s hand in his, placing it in Caernes’ outstretched palm before he swept his Queen quite off her feet as he spun away into the crowd. Her squeals of laughter had heads turning as the King made a spectacle of himself….

Leaving Caernes to marvel at how beautiful his Vania was in the glancing light of the afternoon. Flushed cheeks, dimpled smile, slightly frizzy hair.

“Beautiful.”

Gently, he pulled her closer, and she laid her head on his shoulder as he began swaying to the fading notes of harps and lyres, the drum of her heart keeping the time for his own….

Fresh bottles of wine were making the rounds, passed from god to nymph to daimon to goddess and on; Vania refrained from each one that came her way, watching as Caernes tried to extricate himself from under the outflung arms of her father and his own. The two gods, one blue and one a grape-shade purple, hung on the younger man, laughing loudly at some joke or other. More bodies closed in around the trio, and more laughter rose in waves as whatever was happening around her husband escalated in mirth.

He’d only gone to see about getting her a glass of water. The sun had been bright all day, and there wasn’t a lot of shade in the little valley.

Which made her remember why she’d come to this far edge of the festivities, out past where the chairs for tired dancers were placed, past the tables with the nibbly edibles and small, spell-chilled glasses of punch waited for nimble serving staff to take them to their demise among the thirsty, ravenous crowds.

The lengthening shadows would let him get closer to her if she stood in this abandoned space.

She reflected that it wasn’t that the sun hurt him, despite his pale coloring. That much, her mother had ensured long ago. He just wasn’t comfortable being seen, especially on such a happy day. He wanted to keep from spoiling it with people’s poor judgment and unwillingness to tolerate someone so….

She tried not to think the word….

Couldn’t help it as he pushed off the tree trunk and began walking toward her in that prowling stride of his.

_Terrifying._

She shoved the word away, trying to lock it back in the mental box of all the words she wouldn’t hurt him with; she held her arms out to him, angling up like a toddler as she bounced a little on her bare feet, loving the smile that broke over his face like a full moon climbing over a mountain peak.

“Up, Up!”

“You’re so weird, Vanny….” But he wrapped his long, thin arms around her body, straightening to his full height under the reaching arms of the cypress as he held her close.

Until his head smacked a knobby branch.

“OUCH!”

“Crap, Arry! You hurt?!”

He lowered her back to the ground, keeping a hand steady on her back until she slapped it away. The other massaged a spot behind his left ear.

“I don’t think I’m bleeding….”

“Get down here, lemme see!”

Wincing slightly at the vertigo, he lowered his long body to the ground, sitting with his feet tucked to one side, knees bent, to avoid flaring open the skirt of the long robe he wore. Small swirls of black dust and mist rose from the movement, from his pale feet, as she stepped behind him, fluttering her nearly insubstantial wings. She felt proud as the soft mauve light began shining in the deep shade under the tree, enough that she could examine the back of his moon-pale head.

While she gently poked and lifted strands of his long hair, as long as their father’s was today, she saw him lift a hand, turning it slowly, watching the pale light wash against his skin.

“No gloves, Arry? I thought you’d have them on for sure out here, all these debauched idiots are so unpredictable.”

“I brought them, but I’m not going to put them on unless I have to. I’m older now, and I can do better than my fears would have me think.”

She placed a gentle kiss on the small knot on his skull, patting down his hair as she stepped back around him, into the angle of his hips and thighs. She lowered herself to the ground, mimicking his shape as she mirrored him, leaning against his chest, feeling the top of her head barely hitting the junction in the middle of his collarbone.

“I’m so glad you’re here. I’m so proud you’re my brother. I’m just sorry you didn’t get out of here unscathed; some King you are, smacking your head on a branch!” She smirked up at him, proud of her wit and humor.

He wrinkled his nose in her direction, weaving his head back and forth as she laughed.

“Well, apparently I’m more than seven feet now. Cause that branch there is definitely not less than seven from the ground….”

“Daaaang. You are one tall kid, Arry….”

She wrinkled her nose and stuck her tongue out at him. He smiled.

“How was the ceremony, Vanny? I couldn’t see much from back here, but one of the cuckoos came and sat on a branch here for a bit after. That was definitely something, turning a ribbon to birds….”

“Oh, it was just wonderful, Arry. Everything I could have dreamed. It was soooo hard not to look at him until Hera made her decision, though! Fates, I thought I was gonna just, vibrate apart from the strain!”

She lunged against him, collapsing dramatically against his chest, faking embarrassment as she tucked her nose against his sternum. He chuckled, and bent his head down to place a gentle kiss on her hair.

“That, I think would have been the highlight of the day.”

She lightly smacked his chest with the flat of her hand.

“You’re a hopeless romantic, you are, you big twerp.”

She felt his shoulders sink a little, and he let loose a gusting sigh. Leaning back again, she looked into his face; tears pooled instantly in her eyes at the ageless sadness she saw there.

“Oh, Arry, what did I say?!”

His arms wrapped around her again, one hand petting against her hair and back.

“Nothing. Just…. I am.”

“What? You are what?”

“Hopeless. Romantic. A romantic with no hope for it.”

She jerked back, mild anger lighting her eyes. Whoever had spurned her little brother would feel the wrath of the heir to the King of the Underworld…!

“Vanny, hey. Back down, little sun-bird. No one’s done anything to me….”

“Oh.” She cocked her head to the side. “Then why no hope?”

He stared into her eyes, and the visceral fear she had felt in the mudroom those years before clawed against her heart again.

She saw the sadness in his eyes as he reined in – whatever that was….

“Because no one will ever want a Titan for a husband….”

“Arry, no. I tell you right now: N. O. NO. You do not get to wallow in self-pity before you’ve even lived.”

“Vanny, I-“

“No, Arry. Look at me.”

He did, a faint light of hope and a bright spark of love in his glowing eyes.

“You are sixteen years old. Father was more than 2 millennia old before he met mother. Noreptes and Lukee are both older than Mother was when she met Father, and neither of them is in a serious relationship with _anyone_ yet. Never have been. I’m the odd one out in our family. Me and mother.

“You have barely begun to live, Arry. You’re out here, out of the Underworld, for the first time in ten years, and you’ve got a long way to go. A lot of places to see.

“A world of people to meet.

“You do not get to wallow in self-pity over your lack of love life for another, ummm, 10 years at least, got it? Provided you actually put yourself out there in those ten years, then we’ll eat ice cream and lament your sad heart together. Got it?”

He was chuckling by the time she finished, and the hurt and worry in his eyes was almost gone.

“Yes, ma’am, big sis. Promise. King’s honor.”

“Damn straight.”

His eyes narrowed as he glared at her.

“That man of yours has corrupted you.”

She blinked once before collapsing helplessly in laughter.

While she thrashed against his chest, she felt him turn his head out, knew he was looking down at the party. So close. So far. She gathered up the shreds of her composure, wiping tears from her eyes and groaning to her feet. She held out a hand, slender fingers just a few inches from his eyes.

He turned, staring at them.

She could feel him, struggling against the worry. He knew what she was asking.

He subtly ran a hand across his hip; she knew he was checking for his gloves in a hidden pocket. She pretended not to notice, waiting, patient as the dawn.

Then he took her hand, smooth rolling movement bringing him to his feet, head angled to avoid the offending branch from earlier. She gripped his long fingers, her small hand swallowed in his loose grasp. As she began walking back to the celebration of her wedding, her brother’s long steps slowed nearly to a crawl at her side.

His heart began pounding the moment he stepped into the sunlight, out from the sheltered shadows of the large cypress on the hillside. He wanted this. He wanted to be with his family, actually with them, on this happy, gloriously happy day.

But he was so scared of the rest of them all down there.

Of their fear of him.

Scared of seeing their fear for the next few hours, feeling their unconscious probing, assessing the threat of a Titan in their midst.

Because he was too tall now for him to be anything but a Titan among gods.

He towered over the little tables of treats and snacks; the chairs could have been made of match-sticks, so frail they seemed to him.

Things weren’t so bad, usually, at home. The thick walls and huge windows of his father’s mansion made Arry’s hugeness seem proportionate. A King-sized man in a King-sized home.

But out here, in the open, in the sun, portable tables and delicate chairs the only furnishings:

He was a behemoth, and he knew it.

He resisted the urge to squeeze Vanny’s hand.

He was a King. The feeling of the coiled power in his body thrummed to the thought. He was a King, and his sister got married today.

He could do this.

For her.

And for Caernes. He really was looking forward to being able to call Caernes “brother” for the first time. He’d been waiting years for that.

Yep. He could do this.

For Vanny and Caer.

The raucous laughter and other sounds of merriment died as Vanny stopped with him in the middle of the dance floor. Most of the revelers had abandoned the dance floor in favor of standing closer to the table where Ares and Apollo were high-kicking and “dancing,” entertaining the crowd with drunken foolishness. So, Arry and Vania stood in plain sight as the eyes of the crowd turned away fully from the drunk gods’ antics. Finally, Ares and Apollo realized they had lost their fans; they froze as they saw why.

Apollo had one leg cocked in the air, knee raised nearly to his armpit, both hands clenched in fists, mid pump, at his hips. Ares straightened from his crouch, arms still bent at the elbow and hands still on his hips; his spine gave an audible _crack_, and his hands flew back as he groaned aloud and toppled backward. Hermes swooped in from nowhere, cushioning the spasming god’s fall with his own body, half-laughing as he did.

Vania cleared her throat.

“Everyone, this is my little brother, Arry. Now, where’s my husband…?”

She tilted her head, eyeing the shifting crowd that couldn’t take their eyes off the massive, pale being, cloaked in black robes like nothing they’d ever seen.

“Here! Right here!”

Caernes shoved his way between a pair of green bull-daimons, lurching toward Vanny with his inertia.

“I’m not drunk!”

Vanny laughed loudly, and the tension broke. Everyone laughed with her; even Arry chuckled as Caernes smiled in happy stupidity at the joke.

The party resumed with a vengeance. More tables were shoved together, creating a larger platform for exhibitions of drunken dance and small mock-battles with kabob skewers and champagne flutes. The musicians picked back up, playing more lively medleys now that things were getting good, and a few couples and groups found chairs away from the heart of the revels around the tables, calming down over small glasses of punch and bites of baklava and sweet summer sausage.

Arry found a spot on a chair to one side of the square of bare earth, not really in the thick of things, but not completely hidden either. A good middle ground for a first party like this.

Vanny walked off, supporting Caernes as he listed dangerously, feet swinging out in all directions but forward. Arry noticed a pavilion that had obviously been raised in the last few minutes; Vanny swung the door flap open and guided Caernes inside.

He felt a hot flame tear into his heart; surely she wouldn’t, not out in the open!

He nearly crashed to his feet after another few heartbeats. He had to tense his thighs mid-movement to keep from toppling as Vanny re-emerged, without Caernes, making her way back to the party.

He settled in to study these people as they lost themselves in merriment. The late evening air was still warm, but the hint of a breath of coolness heralded the approaching night. He saw a few workers moving around the edges of the party-space, stabbing torches and hooked posts into the earth. Others followed, lighting the wicks of the torches and hanging lanterns with pastel shades and globes on the iron posts. It was obvious the party was expected to last past the night’s descent.

Arry felt the – as Caernes called it – bookworm in him raise its head, scenting the air with his eyes and ears and cataloging information. Many people he recognized, even having never met them before, from photo albums his mother kept, others from simple physical descriptions in the Books of Deities.

The golden Queen that nursed a mint-garnished glass was obviously Hera. She stared off into the horizon, a dark frown casting her in terrible splendor.

The lavender waif with straight black hair was definitely Artemis. Her ripped jeans and hole-infested T-shirt were a testament to her contempt at being present at a celebration of marriage and all things domestic. But she seemed to be enjoying the argument – it was too violent a confrontation to simply be called a debate – that she was having with a blue-tinted nymph in a waiter’s apron.

He wondered if someone should intervene.

And then Persephone was there, gently slipping between Artemis and the poor nymph. While Artemis threw a grappling hug around his mother’s body, Arry silently wished the blue woman a swift, clean escape.

Then his attention was snagged by red-skinned Hermes darting into the air with a bag of something clutched in the crook of his elbow. He plowed a hand through the opening, nearly dropping the bag, and then flung his arm out and away from his body in a sweeping gesture as he pelted across the sky. Little sparkling bits of who-knew-what rained down gently, and peals of laughter, cackles, guffaws, and miscellaneous groans echoed through the crowd as the shining rain cascaded over their bodies.

He chuckled, watching Hermes lining up for another pass.

He heard an answering chuckle from behind him.

He felt his shoulders tense, a tingle crawling up his spine from his hips. He couldn’t explain it, couldn’t even have tried, but he felt he was in a terrible danger.

The chuckle behind him stopped, a hiss of breath signaling the being knew they were found out as Arry’s body went stiff, hunching in the chair.

“Please, don’t turn around.”

Arry struggled to draw in a breath. His chest felt locked tight around his lungs.

“I-… I should explain…. I just can’t believe what I’m seeing….”

Forcing his lungs to expand, he shivered at the sensation of creeping cold and crawling mist. Not coming at him.

Pooling out from him.

“I don’t know how, but it has to be…. Erebus? Are you Erebus…?”

A growl thundered through Arry’s head; the voice he sometimes argued with snarling and clawing against Arry’s terrified mind.

Some of the fear came from that other voice.

Throwing himself forward, out of the chair, he took two lunging steps before he spun on one heel, fighting for control over his trembling body.

He froze.

“How…? How can this be…?”

The grey-skinned, whip-thin goddess looked him up and down, shock and fear plain in her eyes.

Arry felt the voice rip out another snarl, and dimly he was shocked when he felt his own lips curl over his teeth, a low rumble of a growl pouring from his throat.

His lungs locked tight again as she took a hesitant step forward, her eyes narrowing as she looked quickly, birdlike, down at her feet. She seemed not to have realized she had moved.

His heart stopped beating, and he felt the burn of wounds he’d never received flash across his skin.

His heart remained silent as he raised his hands, trembling, before him, seeing the black lines, like lightning and the edges of blades, against his pale skin.

The grey-skinned woman before him inhaled sharply; he felt the marks burning as they bloomed over the exposed skin of his throat, his chest, his face. He squinted as the vision in his left eye blurred.

He felt his head throb as his lungs refused his demands for air, as his heart remained as still as a gravestone in his chest.

“You died….” Her voice was a breath in the dry air. “We – we killed you….”

_“Never again….”_

The words tore through his mind, ripping him apart as they struggled for release past his locked lungs, his paralyzed jaw.

Arry couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe; he stood there, trembling, burning from wounds two thousand years old, wounds dealt to a body not his own, and he could only dimly realize the panic, the pain, the anger, the killing _rage_ wasn’t his own.

Erebus was trapped inside him, somewhere between taking control of Arry’s body and fading back into the background to become the strange voice-not-voice in his head.

But Arry couldn’t breathe, and his heart was dead as iron in his chest.

Athena suddenly pitched forward, her knees striking the soil. Her face was hidden, angled to the ground, hands raised palms up above her lowered head, a racking breath clawing its way down her throat.

“My Lord, forgive me….”

Arry’s knees grew weak as his heart gave a fretful _thump_ behind his ribs.

“Forgive me, my King….”

He dragged in a rattling breath, and a cool mist seemed to swaddle his mind.

“My Lord Erebus, King of the Void, I cry your pardon for my treason….”

The black marks upon his skin faded; but the smoke and mist swirling in tendrils around his feet began to swell outward, creeping with grasping fingers toward the goddess prone on the ground.

Arry felt his lips curl farther away from his teeth. The pink light from his eyes dimmed as his lids drifted shut.

“Forgive me, my King…. Forgive a foolish child….”

Far away, from far away, Persephone’s voice was faint in his ears. Lightly, small fingertips touched the trembling muscles of his forearm.

“Arry, what’s wrong? What’s happening?”

The eyes that opened in the bone-white face were the rusted red of fresh-clotted blood, of iron peeking through the crust of the earth.

“Sorry, little flower.” A soft snarl slipped through the pale lips above her wide-eyed face. “I need to borrow your son for a few minutes….”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told y'all shit was gonna get real!
> 
> Let me know what y'all think! I mean, I'm really proud of me, but.... ya know.... 
> 
> beauty in the eye of beholders, and all............
> 
> Hold on to your hats, mortals!


	23. Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last Titan, the shadowed brother of the Earth Mother and the King of Skies, the Lord of Darkness, is awake....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hold. On. Tight....

Leaning back, arching luxuriously, he felt the last rays of bright Helios' beating into the black of the robe on his chest. He pulled his arms up, curving them languorously to run his long fingers through his pale, softly writhing hair. 

_Alive...._

He rolled his neck as his hands flicked past the ends of his hair, bringing his body forward in a supple, wavelike motion to stand upright once more. He gave a quick glance at the frozen beings around him.

Persephone, pale beneath her vivid coloring, hands recoiled in shock at the change in her son's _self_. He felt a small twinge around his slowly beating heart, and resolved to try to mend that after a while....

The dark King of Souls moved, predatorially, protectively, to stand with his wife, actually moving to shield her trembling form behind the drape of his robe.

Others flinched as his gaze swept over them, some grasping for the hilts of decorative daggers or moving behind loved ones' sheltering arms....

Finally, he looked again at the grey figure, hunched before him on the dirt, silently pleading, desperately begging, for mercy....

He huffed out a scoffing breath at the sight.

He smiled as she flinched at the sound.

Flexing his knees, feeling the muscles respond to his mental command, he allowed himself to feel the blooming warmth of pleasure. It had been so long, so very long. At first, the incorporeality of his existence had been terrifying, to say the least. Then he'd become attuned to actually manipulating his formless form in his <strike>prison</strike> kingdom of the Void, and the last thousand and odd years had been acceptable, if not pleasant.

He'd watched from a misted distance as the King of the Underworld built his empire. The Underworld had always been closer to the Void, easy enough for him to see how things were going. It was an added benefit that he never caught even a whiff of a hint of those murderous bastards of the young generation of traitors.... They hated the reality of the shadows, the reflections of life well lived, and life poorly lived. They, selfish brats that they were, preferred to spend their long years in blinded light, losing themselves in illusions of happiness, of comfort, of freedom from responsibilities....

No matter. 

He took a prowling step forward, eyes training over the shivers and shudders the grey goddess gave as he approached. He felt the rage, the gloriously boiling rage, tear through him. Billowing smoke and mist poured from the swirling hems of his robe, insubstantial fingers grasping for her skin, her hair as he got closer. 

A deeply inhaled breath, feeling the swell of muscles and the the creak of bone....

His head whipped up, red light flashing from his eyes as he found the source of his distraction. 

That delicious....

Oh, that delectable scent....

A wolfish grin split his lips as with his next step, he let the Void embrace him; he emerged in the next moment with a billow of smoke and small flashes of black flame next to the small table with flimsy silver trays. Little cups filled with mounds of softly sculpted creamy dairy confection called to him.

Seduced him. 

He called over his shoulder as his eyes widened in his pale face, his heart thumping loudly in his chest, sending echoes of memories, bare flickers of memories, really, through his body.

"WHY HAVEN'T YOU EVER TOLD ME THERE WAS YOGURT HERE, LITTLE FLOWER?!" 

He snatched one of the cups off the tray, placing the tiny spoon gently between his thumb and forefinger as he scooped a bite of dreamy melting sweetness onto his tongue. His eyes rolled back into his head at the taste....

He let his knees buckle as he lowered himself into the closest chair, holding the cup of dreamy yogurt close to his chest, moaning slightly at the pleasure that rocked through him.

"Sweet darkness, I've missed that taste...."

He didn't care that the assembled crowd was staring at him as if he'd grown an extra head and bat's wings. It was all worth it for the taste of sweet cream on his deprived tongue....

Losing himself in the pleasure, he ignored the growing rumble of murmurs and thrums of fear that rolled like stormcloud over the formerly debauched party. Finishing the last of the yogurt from the cup dwarfed in his long fingers, he leaned over, lifting another from the thin tray and leaving the empty one with its tiny spoon in an open space. He felt the blue King staring him down, felt his anger and panic and uncertainty beating out of him. He knew the defensive instincts that were tearing young Aidon apart inside, the territoriality of a King when faced with another, greater in power and unknown in purpose.

Such a dominant King, that young one had always been....

Finishing the second cup of sweet, cool yogurt, Erebus snapped his gaze to the little golden Queen as she emerged from the crowd, going to kneel beside the prostrate grey goddess in the middle of the empty space. Golden fingers gripped taut bicep muscles, and the pale form was dragged unceremoniously to unsteady feet.

Erebus wrenched himself to his feet, a snarl tearing out of him as his hands curled into claws at his sides.

The piercing golden look pinned him in place, closely followed by the flame red of the young blue King's violent gaze; however, Erebus refused to submit. 

"I'm not done with her yet."

"You'll have nothing more to do with her at all, Titan King." The brassy tone in the golden Queen's voice demanded obedience.

"She owes me. She, and your _blasted_ King...."

Aidon stepped between the two goddesses and Erebus, breaking his line of sight.

"You will not shed the blood of my family on this ground, this day."

Erebus lurched as if a punch had landed in his gut. A blast of cold rocked from his body, coursing out in a rippling wave, whipping clothes and hair of everyone in the space. A breath trembled down his throat, coating his lungs in the piercing ice of sorrow, self-loathing. 

"No.... I will not...."

Hunching, collapsing in on himself, he turned from the accusing glare of the young King he'd watched over for so long. Stepping through nothing, he felt the rift in space close behind him as he entered his realm. The words echoed in his mind, circling, clawing at him like hyenas in the dark....

His own words, unheeded two thousands of years before by the grey goddess he'd tried to plead with as she helped the King carve him to pieces on the bright field....

Because he spoke in a language even she had forgotten....

In the ringing silence of the valley, Hades felt the breath _whoosh_ out of him, and with it bled away the feeling of a tightly-coiled spring compressed in his gut into something like a bomb, just waiting for the pressure to release so untold damage could be done. 

_I haven't felt anything like that since...._

_Kronos.... _

_Since I faced Kronos on that field that day, the day I nearly...._

He turned tightly, seeing Hera's golden skin melting away into the lengthening shadows, the hunched gray form beside her giving soft sounds that could have wracking sobs or soft screams. Continuing to spin, he caught Persephone's wide-eyed gaze; she held a trembling hand out to him, fear stamped in every inch of her face....

"Aidoneus...?"

He rushed back to her, falling to his knees as she collapsed against him. Images flashed through his mind: her collapsing against him that first day in Tartarus, beneath apple trees in a land of pure death and rot; her collapsing against him in the cave nearly ten years before, whispering that their son was something other than a god; her collapsing against him so many times, so many nights, after passionate love. All of those moments, all of those times, were tame and innocent compared to the hysterical woman he now held tightly to his chest. 

She sobbed, great heaving breaths threatening with every spasm to tear her to pieces. He held, petted, murmured soothing whispers of lies, that they'd get their son back, that they'd be okay, that they could fix this....

The strain finally consumed itself in her tears, and she relaxed suddenly in his arms, her eyes fluttering against the smothering darkness of unconsciousness.

"Put me down, Hades. I can walk!"

This writhing wildcat would never be mistaken for the same woman who had fainted a mere hour before after the strain of ... 

whatever that had all been....

"Persephone, please...."

"NO! PUT. ME. DOWN!"

"FINE!"

He relaxed his arms, and she slid to the ground, clutching his biceps in strong fingers as she tried to find her balance. He instantly felt ashamed at his temper, placing his hands gently against her ribs to help her steady herself. 

"I'm sorry, sweetness."

"I know, it's fine. Let's go."

She turned smartly on her heel, nearly sprinting as she made for the front door of their home. The dark blue light from the sky above threatened rain, or snow, or both, as clouds pooled overhead. He lengthened his stride to catch her up before she plowed through the door into a possible unknown danger.

Because Erebus hadn't returned to the valley.

Neither had Arry. 

Her pink form in the black gown skidded to a halt as she reached the top step.

He slid around her, one arm holding her back.

Their front door was cracked open....

Hades eased forward, keeping his arm out like a barricade to prevent Persephone from rushing ahead. He felt her place light, trembling fingers on the top of his arm, keeping her distance but still grounding both him and her in their closeness. 

He toed the door a little farther open and let the cool air of the front hall wash into his throat as he tasted the air.

"Σερβερυς, Ελα ...."

The whispered command would not carry to any mortal - or immortal - ears anywhere outside the foyer within, but Hell's Hound would hear it no matter where he was, in any realm.

And respond.

The King was surprised, and felt the jerk of his wife’s fingers as she too was startled, to hear the clicking of carefully trimmed black nails coming from the den. Cerberus’ lean head peeked around the doorframe, tongue lolling happily from his open mouth, pale silvery strands of saliva pooling to the floor. His head seemed to weave a little, and Hades knew the dog was wagging his tail, shifting his whole body with the motion.

Hades turned from his hound’s toothy smile, eyes wide as he raised one eyebrow to his wife’s similarly confused face.

She threw her fingers in the air as she shrugged, comically leaning backwards away from his arm.

He lifted his lips in a thin smile – well, grimace, really, he supposed – and turned back to the doorway. He squared his shoulders, and the arm he still held protectively before Persephone tensed. She held herself still as the clean, powerful lines of his bident materialized in his waiting hand, fingers curling possessively around the shaft.

He lowered himself into a crouch and stalked forward into his home, hunting the intruder inside his son’s body….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! Kudos, comments, bookmarks all encourage my swooning love....
> 
> The Greek text is essentially, "Cerberus, come." Cerberus, Ela'....


	24. Hello, my name is Erebus. I may be a little insane after 2000 years of incorporeal existence, but I promise I’m not a monster. Thanks for letting me borrow your son’s body for a bit. I suppose we should talk about that....

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I think the title says it all....

Sitting on nothing but air, Erebus let the emotional pain rip through him. Not only his, but all the pain he knew he'd caused with that.... 

“Call it what it is....

“Loss of control. Temper tantrum. 

“Bout of insanity....”

Yeah. 

The nothingness swirled around him, caressing him lightly, tempting in its touch. He let himself feel that, too.

Sweet Darkness, it felt so good to feel. 

Feel everything, instead of nothing. 

Even if the everything hurt, it was still something. 

But no use moping. 

_To return to the valley and cause more trouble?_

“Tempting....”

_To go somewhere else, just get away from everything?_

“Naaaah. You're too old for a joyride, old son....”

_To the Underworld? Try to make things right?_

“That's the one.... You know, responsibility, truth, all that good jazz.”

Rising from his insubstantial chair, the King of the Void took a step forward, and felt damp clay and gravel shift under his bare foot.

The mansion of the King of the Underworld rose on its commanding hill before him, black stone lines and gleaming moon-shot windows beckoning with a sense of familiarity. 

_[[[home....]]]_

“Yep, kid. But give me a few more hours, 'kay? I still gotta talk some things over with your folks when they get back.”

Long, gliding steps brought him to the front door. He pushed against it gently, letting it swing open just enough for him to pass his thin body through. He enjoyed the challenge, honing his sense of the body’s movement….

Until a thundering growl startled him and he fell against the umbrella stand behind him, feeling the sharp corners gouge into his kidney.

“Shit, Cerberus!”

The three-headed beast slowed drastically mid-run, skidding as he slid toward the foyer, two heads fading with flickers of mist as his claws caught on the long rug running the length of the hall from the den. The rug bunched under the sliding paws, and Cerberus tossed his now-single head for balance.

With an agile leap, the dog freed himself from his impending demise against the wall and planted all four feet in a fighting stance, teeth bared and another low rumble building in his chest. Ice-colored eyes locked on Erebus’ red ones.

“Hey, pup.” The icy gaze softened at the obviously somewhat-familiar and loving tone. “I know, I didn’t mean to scare you. I know you were expecting the kid, and ya got me instead. But he’s in here, too. I know you ya can feel him, right?”

The black nose twitched, the eyes softening more. The velvety head tilted to one side, lips lowering over the glistening fangs, and a confused whine slipped into the air.

“Oh, poor pup. I’m sorry. Look, my name is Erebus, but the body, this body, it’s still the one you remember, kay? I’m sure we’ll get on great…. Can I get up now?”

The hound flopped back onto his haunches, tail giving a slight thump against the floor in trusting hope as Erebus pulled himself back to his feet. He groaned, massaging the throbbing spot where the corner of the large container had jammed into his back, and bent over to stand it up in its place. He limped over to the bunched-up folds of wool rug, dragging one foot over the thick fabric repeatedly as he pushed and shoved it back into something close to its proper place in the hall. By the time he straightened again, satisfied, Cerberus came trotting over to him, ears low in uncertainty, but tail threshing the air in recognition.

“Good boy….” He bent a little, ruffling those ears, and then started moving toward the kitchen.

He pulled open the fridge, remembering through a hazy fog all the things that Arry usually ate. He felt a flash of irritation as he finally pieced it together.

“THE KID HATES YOGURT! THAT’S WHY I DIDN’T EVEN HARDLY REMEMBER IT EXISTED! LITTLE TWERP!”

Shoving the containers of various leftovers around, he kept up a running monologue about stupid boys who didn’t have refined palates and stubborn parents who refused to make sure they developed them.

“Honestly, ambrosia and nectar are no fit substitute for the majesty that is – AH-HA!”

Triumphantly, he lunged forward, cracking his head on one of the upper shelves in the fridge as he closed a fist around the little cup near the back.

“Kid’s mother will just have to miss out on this one…. Spoon, spoon, where’s a spoon?”

Muscles remembered from a life in this home, even if he consciously couldn’t bring the memory to mind. The drawer slid open, fingers tickling across the metal piles until a spoon finally rolled into his grip.

“Now that’s more like it….”

He turned around, yogurt and spoon held tight to his chest, and made his way back to the den. Dramatically, he flopped onto one of the deep-set armchairs, bare feet thumping against the floor as he collapsed. Wiggling his hips to settle deeper into the plush seat of the chair, he sighed in pleasure as he rolled the cup before his eyes.

“Oh, dear. Blueberry, huh? Whatever will they think of next…?”

Cerberus padded over beside the chair as Erebus peeled the foil from the top of the container. Sniffing in a huge breath, he savored the explosion of scent as the creamy, lavender-colored swirls were revealed.

“Oh, my….”

Cerberus whined as he sniffed the air, too.

“Oh, sure. Of course you want some. Hound of Hell has better taste than the freakin’ Prince….” He held the foil out toward the black nose, smiling gently as the pink tongue darted out for a tentative lick. Cerberus seemed to like it, tongue continuing to flick against the foil, catching most of the swipes of yogurt as Erebus waited not-so-patiently for the dog to finish.

“Okay, enough. You’re killing me, here….”

Foil crumpled into a ball and flung onto the coffee table. Dog licking his chops, a thoughtful look on his face. Spoon stabbing into the thick cream inside the little plastic cup. Eyes rolling back in his head as the taste overwhelmed his senses.

“Oh, Fates….”

A breathy moan floated into the air.

“Yep. That does it….

“I’m never not having a body again….”

Time ceased to mean anything as he enjoyed every drop of the thick, creamy, fruit-flavored yogurt. He lost count of the sighs he couldn’t keep contained and didn’t even feel shamed when he whimpered as he finished the last swipe from the spoon. His eyes slid closed, and he just relaxed, savoring the fading taste on his tongue.

Until the hound, relaxing beside the chair on the floor, rose yawning to his feet, nails clicking softly as he walked calmly to the door into the hall. Stopping with just his head looking around the door frame, Erebus heard the dog’s chops flap open, panting breaths misting in the cool air of the hall, and the long, whip-thin tail started wagging, shaking the lean body back and forth gently.

Erebus pulled himself straighter in the chair, feeling the slow beat of his heart leap a little as he felt the _shiiink_ of power from the front steps.

_Oh, fuck. He’s coming in armed…._

_Okay, just play cool. Chill. Non-threat. Think peaceful thoughts. _

One deep breath, two, and he heard a sliding step catch on the rug, just a few feet away from the den’s doorway.

His heart jumped again, and he tried to stamp down the anger and fear that flared to life behind his ribs, inside his head.

_I’m not dying today. Not ever again…._

Hades took a deep breath, feeling Persephone do the same. He didn’t look at her, but the gentle pressure she squeezed onto one shoulder told him she was ready.

Together, the took the last few steps, swinging around Cerberus where he stood grinning against the doorframe, and locked their eyes on the red-eyed, moon-pale Titan sitting rod-straight in the deep black armchair.

Hades felt his power thrum as he caught the defiant, daring stare of the figure across the room. Territorial flashes of anger ripped through him, leaving him able to do little more than stand there, bident clenched in tightly trembling hands, panting like he’d sprinted from Olympus, on foot….

He felt the power grab his heart in an iron fist….

And felt his heart melt away in the realization of why he couldn’t move, couldn’t act….

_He’s my son…. I can’t hurt my son…._

He felt Persephone start to tremble again, too, and though his mind screamed at him to defend, to take care of the problem causing his wife to fear and tremble, he couldn’t do it.

He could never….

Erebus rose smoothly to his feet, red eyes glowing wide in the dark of the den. The moonlight behind him threw glowing haloes around his head, and the long locks of bright hair lifted like snakes entranced by the flute….

Persephone moved out from behind the shelter of his broad shoulders, tiny pink feet carrying her regally toward the towering Titan before them.

Persephone felt herself moving, walking, gliding toward him. She felt when Hades reached reflexively for her, but she stepped just a hair to the side, avoiding his fingers deftly.

She couldn’t explain it, but she had to know….

Erebus froze before he could take a single, gliding step toward the threat before him. The pink form of the Queen was coming closer, and he felt his attention drawn to her eyes. He knew the King of the Underworld would attempt to smite him down if he harmed the Queen; he really didn’t care. He wasn’t giving up this life, these feelings, now that he had them again after so, so long….

But he became trapped in the feelings that boiled through him as he looked at the little flower….

[[[mother….]]]

The whisper in his head wasn’t really needed, but he couldn’t really shut the kid up, either. Of course the kid was scared he was gonna hurt his mom.

He was a little scared he might actually hurt her.

He hadn’t felt this out of control in millennia….

He flinched back a little as she suddenly raised a hand from her side, fingers weaving slightly in the air as she stared, seeming hypnotized, at his chest, so far above her head.

She floated into the air, still coming toward him as she gained the height she needed.

He felt his heart thrum once, almost in slow-motion, as her fingers made contact with the skin over it….

His vision shifted for a second, and it was as if he saw through her eyes, felt with her soul as well as his own. He felt the recoil as she also felt the same influx of sensation from him; linked, they shared everything for the space of a heartbeat.

Without meaning to, he showed her the memories from that day, those haunting screams he never acknowledged had torn from his own throat as he was torn to pieces. The burning brands from the bolts of Zeus and the ripping marks of the damnable bird’s claws and the clean, ice-cold sharpness of Athena’s leaf-bladed spear: all breaking his mind under the onslaught as his body failed him in the beautiful sunlight. He showed her how he had tried to speak the words, the same words her husband had unknowingly bruised him with earlier in the day; he shared with her the emotional pain as the assault tore him down, realizing the fiery grey beauty before him had not understood, had not even heard him try to reach her dark little mind….

He showed her what it had felt like to wake in a place that had always belonged to him, and feel a stranger trapped within it; the fear that it would tear what was left of him apart, as he no longer had a body to command its currents, its self.

The triumph of discovery when, no telling how many centuries later, he finally bent his realm to his will and looked out, for the first time in eternities, upon the worlds outside his Void.

Because the Void was part of his soul; because his self was part of the Void.

It had never been his body that gave him the control; it had always been his will, his mind, his _SELF_.

But the body he now had, he could not bear the thought of giving it up. Too long torn apart; he would do anything to stay in this existence.

Even if he had to share it….

He felt the connection snap as Hades wrapped a strong arm around her torso where she floated, her fingers leaving small marks on the exposed skin of his chest as she clawed for purchase as she was ripped away. He collapsed into the chair, breath rushing in and out of his lungs as he strove to master the spiraling fear and rage and sorrow and ecstasy and hate and love that swirled through him without care, without thought.

He closed his eyes, felt himself flicker as the Void reached for him, offering a little comfort, a small release from the turmoil.

He pushed it away, leaving the billows of smoke, of mist, the tiny flickering tongues of silver-edged black flames to fade to puddles under his feet, contained almost without thought from eons of practice….

He gasped again as he opened his eyes to see the twin points of the bident crackling with energy, aimed at his chest….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments, kudos, bookmarks - all feed my obsession, so, thanks!


	25. Trust in Dark Spaces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Explanation and negotiations - King to King....

Panic tore him apart as he stared, frozen, at the iron points inches from his skin. It seemed like cloth was shoved in his ears as the pink goddess’ voice sounded muffled at a far distance, rather than just a few feet away, tugging ineffectually at the Dread King’s arm.

He felt a shudder tremble through his whole body; he took in another shaking gasp of a breath.

He let his eyes slide closed as he realized he was making the same choice again….

He wouldn’t kill these young lives….

He wouldn’t kill to save his own….

But did he have to kill to survive?

His eyes snapped open again, resolve and power beaming out at the startled blue face above him. A snarky smirk twisted his lips as he _fell_ into the leather of the chair and the floor beneath, disappearing from view in a blink.

Hades flung his free arm out as he spun in a tight circle, keeping Persephone behind him. The prongs of the bident were angled flatly away from the King of Souls’ hip, ready to strike in any direction.

Erebus saw him as he paced through the Void’s tender caress, giving himself the space he needed to make his stand.

To make his point.

Once.

For all eternities.

He stepped back into the Underworld’s reality near the door into the hall, far enough away that even a lunging leap from the King wouldn’t be enough to reach him if he stepped through the Void again. He saw young Aidon start to make that lunge, and then hesitate as he calculated the distance.

Taking a slow breath, Erebus steeled himself to fix everything….

“Young Aidon, please. Hear another King’s desperate plea….”

Erebus rolled a little of his power into the words, knew he needed to establish the equal-ish footing between the two of them right now, before things went any further.

“I know this is hard. Believe me. I know how hard it is to see something alien subsume a loved one in its grasp. But I promise you. I mean, meant, Arry no harm. I will never mean him any harm. He’s still in here, and I might be able to prove it to you. But we just can’t talk at the same time, and I can’t make things right if you’re constantly threatening my life with sharp pointy things.”

He couldn’t stop the shiver that rippled along him, and he hunched a little as the fear tightened his gut.

“Please. Can’t we talk…?”

Persephone rubbed her fingers gently along the King’s arms where it pressed against her side, and Erebus caught in a small breath as the blue god struggled to look at her, struggled to turn away from the threat in the room. She nodded, eyes wide, pleading….

The bident dissolved into nothing with a soft fizzling noise, and Erebus leaned against the wall in relief as his knees went weak.

“Fates!” He hated the breathlessness of his voice, but he didn’t try to fix it right away. “Thank you, young Aidon….”

“That’s not my name.” The words rumbled from that heaving blue chest with barely controlled anger.

“Pshaw! I know!”

The pair of them cocked their heads at the same time, in the same direction, at his outburst. He slapped his hands to his knees, bending double as he cackled loudly.

“THE TWO OF YOU, YOU’RE SUCH A PAIR!”

He wiped tears from his eyes as he wandered back, shaking, to the black leather chair; hysterical laughter still tore from his throat, and he dimly wondered how insane he might actually be….

He didn’t even care that they backed away from him, worry and fear written in spades on both their faces at his behavior.

Trying to bring his breathing back to some semblance of normalcy, he flicked a hand in a sweeping gesture at them where they hovered, uncertain, before the couch. “Sit, please. I’m so tall, it hurts to look up at people when I’m sitting.” He chuckled some more as they did sit, perched for flight on the edge of the cushions while he settled himself in the chair: molding his back against the swell behind him and bringing one leg over the other, crossing at the knee.

The skirts of his robe shifted slightly, revealing black smoky not-fabric coating the skin of his exposed leg. He saw Persephone’s eyes widen….

“What, the kid never told you the robe is not exactly clothing?”

Her head shook from side to side, eyes still wide and disbelieving.

“Well, it’s not like I’m naked…. It’s just easier this way. Clothes made in other realms tend to – um – ahem – dissolve in the void.”

The King spoke up, hardness layering his voice with scorn at the seeming-lie. “That didn’t happen with Arry the first time, in the cave.”

“Yes it did.”

“No, it didn’t!”

“No, it didn’t. He went in clothed, came out wearing the same clothes, just dirty. I remember, we had to toss the stuff, it was so filthy.” Persephone took her husband’s side, of course.

“Shoes.”

Hades blinked. Persephone’s mouth dropped open.

“The Void took his shoes before I could help rein it in.”

“Before you could….” Hades blinked again as he trailed off in disbelief.

“I’ve been there all along, young Aidon. From the moment those little bastards scared him and hurt him badly enough to start breaking down the walls I’d built to protect him.”

Persephone cleared her throat, a harsh sound from one so elegant. “I think you’d better keep talking, Erebus. I think we need to hear everything, so that we can make some decisions.”

Hades nodded once, then growled out, “And stop calling me that. That’s not my name or title.”

“Well, no shit, Your Blueness. It’s a nickname. The one I gave you when you were born.”

“I’ve never met you, not once, until today.”

“You don’t remember it, but you did. Or, well, I met you. All blue and silver and wrapped in pale cotton strands. But your little eyes: oh, so indignant…. Your mother named you Aidoneus, and I told her I’d never call you ought but Aidon, because you would be too frustrated at hearing all those syllables every time….!” The cackling laugh started to bubble in his chest again, but Erebus tried to rein it in. “And I was right. You weren’t but, what, 30, when you started going by Hades? And you even abbreviate all your kids’ names! Seriously…. I’m a genius.”

Erebus grinned softly as a disbelieving smile smoothed across the blue god’s stern face. Erebus knew the memories the words would stir in his young – cousin? Nephew? Whatever. – Faint memories of a whispering thunderous voice on the fringes of the night-darkened forests from his childhood. Hazy sounds, that sounded like only part of his name. A feeling of safety, of being watched over and protected when his mother wasn’t around.

“There ya go, young Aidon. I guess you just needed a little jog to your old memory bank up there.”

“Fine. Keep talking.” Hades tried to force some strength back into his voice, fighting past the sudden lump in his throat.

“Okay. Look. Yes, I’m not your son. Yes, this is your son’s body. The body he’s had since he was born. I did _not_ force myself into him, I swear. But the Void did.

“Persephone, did you feel what I was trying to explain to you a bit ago? Yeah? Okay, help me make this make sense. The Void is a fourth realm, a fourth portion of the Cosmos, but it’s also meeeee. It’s my Self, and I’m it’s King. But it’s also my Master. We have to treat me and the Void as one thing, okay?

“Think of it like, ummm, your body.”

“I think you lost me, there.” Persephone’s voice was quiet, trying not to offend, but adamant in asserting her problem.

“I mean, the components of your life. First, physical body, right? Your actual flesh, blood, bone. That’s like Gaia. The actual physical matter and substance of life.

“Then there’s your instincts and animal needs. Right? Breathing, eating, sleep. That’s Oranus, the things that bring the components of the physical realm together into something more. It sets the stage for what comes next.

“Consciousness. Mind. Thought. All that cogito-ergo-sum jazz. Animals that get more and more mind, more and thought, they become more and more sentient. They start to develop souls…. That’s the Underworld. Oranus kinda took care of that, too, for a long while, but it’s a third of reality, basically. The essence that gives a life meaning.

“And then there’s the Void. Me. Your Cleistes dude wasn’t wrong. It’s kinda like a mirror realm for Oranus, but also for Gaia and the Underworld. It’s Self. The thing you get when all the other things that make life happen – the physical body, its needs, its base thoughts and beginnings of soul – once those things start coming together, there’s this _shift_ that happens, and Self suddenly exists. Not independent of the others; it relies on those three other realms. But now that it exists, if the Self is removed, the other three realms lose balance.

“Which is why, when my body died, the Void kept me kinda sorta alive, but insubstantial….”

A shadow passed over Erebus’s face, and Persephone felt again the remembered fear he’d unintentionally shared with her. She still wasn’t sure what had made her go to him like that, reach for him like that. But she knew it was the right thing to have done.

If she hadn’t, he might be dead now, or her husband battling him across the plains of the Underworld for dominance….

Erebus shook himself like a wet dog, ripping himself out of remembered misery.

“Anyway, I existed in the Void, deep inside myself, because it can’t be unmade now that it exists. I’m here ‘til the end of everything, same as Gaia and Oranus and the Underworld you rule. All four of us, we’re all that holds reality together. Some pale comfort, that, that we can’t actually be completely destroyed, I suppose.

“But it doesn’t change the fact that I wasn’t meant to exist as shapeless mist and roiling fear in my realm. It took an age and a half, but your youngest son was born with aspects that the Void recognized. The Underworld, due to its very nature, has always been closest in kind to my realm, Aidon. I was just waiting for you to get hitched and start making babies….”

Hades grimaced at the crudeness.

“Sorry. Look, I, me, Erebus, I didn’t steal your son, or force myself into him. The Void, my realm, recognized something in him, and claimed him as Its own. Over the first couple of years of his life, when his powers began manifesting, that’s when I was starting to take pale notice of him. That’s when I realized that while he might be able to be the King of the Void, it would take far too long.

“And the Void was growing more intractable and rebellious and fractious every hour.

“It was never meant to exist so long unacknowledged.

“It’s a selfish little thing…. It likes the attention….

“So, I was trying to give little hints to your son, trying to help him at the same time you were. I gave you little hints, too. That bit, you remember, about not being the same person, getting him to see that love comes from the same place as pain?”

Hades felt his mouth fall open again. Persephone pinched his arm to get him to look at her.

“What’s he talking about?”

“I’ll tell you later, but yeah, it’s true.”

“Yep. That wasn’t your big brain, boy. That one was all me….

“Anyway. Like I said, I didn’t force myself in the kid. I knew that would seriously mess him up. But when those little ass-wipes…. They kinda forced my hand. Well, my will and Arry’s hand.

“I wasn’t strong enough to breach the veil and bring him through from inside the Void. He had to open the doorway, so I kinda stepped in and took control for a second. Just enough to make the door. I got the hell back out of his little head as soon as the door was there and he ran through.

“But that’s why he said he thought there were things, other beings, there with him. Not other beingssss. Just me. I was trying to reach him without hurting him, but it just wasn’t enough. If I’d been able to reach him, he’d have been able to lock the doorway, you wouldn’t have come through, and things would have been a little easier. He’d have calmed down, come back out when he was ready, and that would have been that.

“So, that didn’t happen, and it scared the shit out of the kid. He had to deal with the power that was unlocked in him too early; and his body wasn’t really cut out for it.

“The Void started molding him into this. He had to take on my shape, remnants of my flesh as it had been before, in order to keep the power from ripping him to pieces.

“That’s why he started eating so much those first few months, you remember?”

They nodded, long hair bobbing and bouncing on their shoulders.

“Yeah…. By the way, why in the almighty Cosmos did you never make the kid eat yogurt!?!”

“We offered it to him!” Persephone’s voice rang out indignantly. “He didn’t like it!”

“Yogurt is perfection itself; how can he not like it?!?!?!”

“I don’t like yogurt either, unless it’s part of a sauce or something.” Hades raised one hand meekly in the air, and then quailed before the furious glare leveled at him from across the room.

“So. It’s your fault….”

Hades gulped.

“Fine. Anyway. I’ll set him straight…. Look, all of the things you’ve worried about him for over the years? The unmaking, the smoky-mistyness, the non-sleeping shit: It’s all because we’ve been halfway co-existing in his mind without him knowing. The unmaking: that’s because everything that’s ever unmade to an atomic level exists as energy in the Void. It’s part of the power of the King. The smoky-mistyness: same. Power of the King. But Arry wasn’t growing into it, not really. He couldn’t. The power remembered having been in existence, under my control, for more than three thousand long years before I was ripped apart, and another two thousand waiting to be brought back out. It would have been a miracle born of miracles if he had the power to truly control it without accidents for the first sixteen years of his existence. I’m honestly shocked there weren’t more accidents of worse caliber; he’s done well, much better than you could have dared dream.

“The not-sleeping? That one is actually kinda my fault. Like, not from before. My fault now. See, with both of us in his brain, only one of us able to be awake – um, like this, right now – at any given time, the other was basically sleeping. I’ve been sleeping for our shared brain all this time. Which means he hasn’t slept in nearly ten years.

“So, yeah. Here’s the skinny.

“I don’t want to die. I won’t. I refuse.

“I want to stay. Even if it means sharing with your kid, dealing with his abominable hatred of yogurt and self-angsty depressive episodes. I’ll take it all, and thank him for it, because it’s nice to just live again….

“So, what are we gonna do? What’s it gonna take to make this happen….?”

Erebus stared at the two immortals in front of him, looking back and forth from one face to the other, as they stared at each other in overwhelmed stupor.


	26. Sharing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can we make this happen?

It took minutes before Persephone could bring herself to look away from her husband’s wide, fearful eyes. She knew without having to ask that he was trying to avoid hoping too much; they had no way of knowing if Erebus wasn’t just playing them. The spiraling, cycling ways his mind moved were alien to her, and she really wasn’t sure if he was 100% sane: and wasn’t that a terrifying thought? That some highly-powerful ancient being was sharing her son’s headspace, and he was also insane?

Her protective instincts roared to life for a brief flash.

Then she remembered the wrenching sorrow and pain and hurt and fear that this pale Titan had bared to her in a moment of utter open truth. She felt like she couldn’t even begin to process all of it: his mind, his Self, had just felt too large, too expansive, for her to hope to comprehend the depth of his trauma.

But she realized Erebus needed them, as much as their son needed them.

Maybe they could make this happen….

She slowly turned her face to Erebus, and smiled a little sappily at the open, trusting, puppy-dog look in his eyes.

“I have a question, before we make any decisions, Erebus.”

“Sure. Anything!”

“Well, it’s a couple of questions. And one might be difficult….”

“Anything, little flower.” He smiled brightly, and she felt her heart skip a little.

_Such power, and he doesn’t even seem to notice he wields it…._

“Hard one first, then. You seem a little, ummmm… erratic. Spazzy.”

She saw his throat convulse as he swallowed drily.

“Are you okay? I mean, is this your normal personality, or are you a little…. Ummmmm.”

“Fruity in the loops?”

She couldn’t stop the snort of laughter that blasted past her lips. She felt Hades turn to glare in protective fear at Erebus again as those dull red eyes slid closed.

“Crap. Maybe. I really don’t know. But I’m not psycho crazy. I mean, I think I was maybe headed that way earlier at the party, but…. Ain’t you ever woke up cranky?”

Persephone waited, knowing somehow that he wouldn’t just leave it at that.

The being in her son’s body opened his eyes, and she saw a swirling flicker of something far back within them that disappeared almost instantly. She didn’t want to admit that she’d seen it, but….

_He is a little crazy…. He’s barely holding it together…._

She felt Hades stiffen beside her, and knew he’d seen it, too.

“I’m trying. That’s the only truth I know.”

The pain and fear in the hollow voice clenched her heart in an icy fist; she willed it away as she placed light, comforting fingers on her husband’s knee.

“That’s fine. We’re just a little worried about our son; I know you are, too. For your own sake.”

“Yeah. But hey, I’m Self-ish. Can’t help what I am.”

The wry grin he flashed toward her face eased some of her fear, and she felt in her soul that everything would work out.

After all, who wouldn’t be crazy after more than a millennium and a half as an incorporeal nothing inside the manifestation of their own mind?

“Okay, fine. Second thing, then. You said you might be able to prove to us that Arry was still in there. I hate to make this sound like hostage negotiations, but I think we need to see him, speak with him, if we can. Make sure he’s okay with all this….”

The red flared a little from the eyes in the pale face, and she felt the quick flash of anger brush against her aura. She held her ground, letting nothing of her fear and worry show on her face. Praise Hermes and his poker cards….

A soft snarl left Erebus as he lowered his eyes.

“I told you, we can’t both talk at the same time. But I might be able to show you a little reflection of him. But it’s gonna be weird as hell. You’re gonna have to trust that it’s not a trick. I can’t manipulate mirrors….”

Persephone tilted her head, trying to follow his train of thought. “I don’t think I understand.” Hades beside her shook his head in agreement.

“I know. Come here.” Fluidly, he rose to his feet from the black armchair, coiled power and ancient grace gliding across the floor to stand near one of the tall windows, windows shot through with little lensflares of light from the misted moon over the metropolis, but otherwise as black as the damned souls in Tartarus. A ghostly reflection of the Titan’s profile wavered on the mirrored surface as Hades and Persephone moved cautiously closer.

“He can’t talk to you. He can’t really talk to me, not in complete sentences. But if you look closely and don’t really blink, he might be able to nod or blink at you in the reflection. I won’t; can’t, not _for_ him, you geddit? But he might can make his point this way. Maybe. In theory….”

Hades locked his eyes on Erebus, not the reflection in the window. Persephone knew the Judge in him would make sure this wasn’t some trick. Erebus was looking at Hades, and Persephone kept her eyes on the reflection.

She gasped and jumped back when the reflection turned its head just slightly, and her son’s pink eye glinted at her against the inky blackness of the Underworld’s dark night.

“Arry!”

The pink eye was concealed momentarily by one milky lid. It opened again, and Persephone felt tears pooling in her own….

She felt Hades sway a little beside her as he looked quickly back and forth between Erebus and the reflection of their son. He took in a staggering breath, and Persephone couldn’t help it. She tore her gaze from the reflection, craning her neck to look at Erebus. He hadn’t moved from where he was staring straight over Hades’ head, except both his eyes were closed. Giving them what privacy he could.

She felt her heart swell with gratitude and love for this broken Titan…. She would do what she could to make him happy, too.

“Arry, can you hear me?” Her husband’s voice rumbled huskily into the dark of the room. The beloved pink eye disappeared behind the lid for another moment. “Okay, blink twice for a no. Ummmm, let’s see….”

Persephone stifled a giggle. “Do you like yogurt, Arry?”

The lid came down over the eye twice, and it could have been a trick of the rain drops starting to trickle down the outside pane, but she thought the corner of his mouth that she could see twitched in a smile.

The tall being beside her gave a moaning rumble of irritation.

“Okay, all jokes aside.” Persephone took a deeper breath. “Arry, do you know everything Erebus has told us?”

One winking blink.

“Are – ummm – are you okay sharing with him?”

Another blink, slow: he didn’t want to be misunderstood.

“But what if you don’t come back?!” The panic took over before she could stop it, and she felt her husband wrap an arm around her protectively as Erebus stiffened beside her.

Their son’s reflection blinked once. Twice.

_No_.

Erebus turned away from the window, moving across the room to stand facing one of the glass-fronted bookcases. Shoulders hunched, and arms moved tightly across his chest, hands clawing into the sides of his ribcage.

“I’m not trying to steal him from you.” The hollow voice was quiet, broken. “I’m nearly positive that when I go to sleep, he’s the one that will wake up in the morning. I just don’t have any proof to give you yet.” A shuddering breath, in, out. “If you can trust me for just another few hours, I think you’ll get your answers from your son….”

Persephone gulped back the tears. She looked her husband in the eyes, saw her fear and worry mirrored there, mingled with a craving that would remain unfulfilled until pink eyes looked into their own in this reality again.

“You have it, Erebus. You have our trust….” Her soft voice floated through the den, soothing pain and fear she couldn’t begin to fathom in the being that held her son’s life in his hands….


	27. Dreams, Half-remembered in the Mistyness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bedtime for the Kings of the Void....

Erebus prowled the room, stepping carefully around the piles of books, the discarded bits of black clothing, the pyramids and barely contained oceans of scrolls.

“Kid, you’re a mess…. Well, at least your mess is fixable.”

Bending over, gathering an armful of scrolls and loose papers, Erebus turned toward the shelves on the far wall. He lowered himself to the floor, legs splayed out at odd angles as he dumped the pile of paper over his knees. He chuckled a little as he picked one from the pile, its pale cream-colored surface nearly obscured by a quilled drawing of a mountainous landscape.

“Woooowww….”

He looked at the shelves beside him, feeling the way the muscles behind his eyes guided his vision, without conscious thought, to a half-filled alcove a few feet above his head. A tiny label marked cleanly in black ink on the pale edge of the marble read “Art and Sketches.”

Blowing gently on the scroll, he fluttered his fingers, watching it float gently up and over, slipping into place on the shelf. The small cushion of grey mist that carried it was nearly invisible, but Erebus still smiled widely as it puffed to nothingness, its job complete.

“Yep. Still got it.”

He picked up the next one: neat lines marched across the page, glyphs slightly foreign to his eyes. But he thought he recognized that one, that kinda looked like a vulture? And that one, like rippling water on a river bank.

“Egyptian, huh? Odd choice, but alright….”

Once again, he let his subconscious memories – Arry’s memories – guide his eyes to the correct shelf. This one was on a bottom-tier, way over by the far wall. It was nearly crammed full, but an empty shelf stood ready to receive its first citizen just beside it. Another whimsical cloud of mist carried the scroll to its proper home.

Erebus lost himself in the task, just enjoying the doing, the feeling, the glimpse at a life he’d barely registered for years….

Finally, the scrolls from the pile on his lap were all in their places on the wall of shelves. He stood up, arching his spine and rolling his shoulders before shaking his legs one at a time to relieve the kinks and stiffness from the hard floor. He felt the caress of the Void, and decided to indulge it this one last time for the evening. He took a step, and emerged with the smoke and silver-edged black flames of his realm licking softly at the edge of the desk piled high with open journals and scrolls and loose pages, all covered in more of Arry’s tidy penwork.

He glanced at the bed, a mere step away, and felt something like grief bind his throat.

“I don’t want to go….”

He looked again at the overcrowded desk. A fountain pen, something he’d never seen before except through Arry’s wielding of it, drew his stare. A blank sheet peeked at him from near the top of the pile.

“You may not remember everything when you wake up next time, Arry. But maybe….”

He pulled the chair out from under the edge of the desk, tilting it so books slid down and littered the floor, adding to the mess he’d barely dented in his cleaning jag earlier. He lowered himself to the chair, feeling it creak under the simple hugeness of his body.

“Maybe you’ll read a note….”

His long fingers grasped the fountain pen reverently as he bent over the dark wood of the desk.

“Holy freaking hell….”

He rolled his body over in the bed, thrashing a little as sheets tangled around his legs.

Not sheets. The skirts of his robe, twisted and snarled, one side smashed under his thighs, the other snagged between his legs.

Groaning, he thrashed some more, feeling a sore muscle twinge in his lower back. Finally, he restored some semblance of decency to the not-cloth around his legs, and he slung his feet to the floor, rocking to a semi-vertical position on the edge of the bed.

His long-fingered hands came up to brush the snarled locks of his hair away from his face.

Pink light glowed softly on the white skin.

“Huh…. Why does that feel weird?”

He rocked onto his feet, walking to the en suite bathroom. He noticed the empty space, where he knew a pile of scrolls waiting to be sorted into his shelves had puddled on the floor for weeks, growing as he kept writing instead of filing.

He flicked a thought at the door, and it swung open as he approached. He entered the room, still rather small for his large form though it was a good-sized space, and bent over the vanity to splash some water on his face.

As he did, he caught a glimpse of his face in the mirror.

Suddenly, it all came flooding into him with the surreal feeling of a half-remembered dream.

“SHIT!”

He staggered backward, crashing into the wall.

His heart pounded as he looked at his reflection.

The pink eyes in the glass faded to a darker red for a moment, and one winked at him, before the image faded to resume its standard state of simple reflection.

He turned around, stepping through the edge of the Void, feeling it welcome him with tender non-touch caresses. He emerged by the desk, noting in the back of his mind that there were no silver-edged black flames like there had been when Erebus controlled his body the day before. He snatched the paper from the cleared space in the middle of the desk and thumped into the chair to read the words he couldn’t remember Erebus writing to him.

_Hey, kid. _

_So, yeah. Here’s the thing. I’m not quite sure how much you’re gonna remember. I know they’ll probably have a lot to say to you, so get your parents to fill in any gaps. I hope this works the same way it does for me – see, like, it took me waaaay too long to remember you – curse you – you don’t eat yogurt. _

_By the way, that’s stupid. Seriously. Yogurt is the best. Why? Just – WHY?!_

_Okay, look. Yeah. This is freaking weird. I’m with ya. _

_But kid…._

_I need it to keep being weird. _

_I need us to keep existing._

_I need …._

_Please. I don’t know how else to ask. _

_Please let me stay. _

_And the next time you decide to read a romance, don’t leave bookmarks on the spicy bits. Anyone could see where your head’s at in the dark of night, man…._

_Come on…._

_Anyway, I hope this finds you well…._

_What the fuck, where’d that come from?_

_Can ya tell I’ve never wrote a letter before? _

_Five thousand years…._

_First time for everything…._

_Bye for now, kid. Until next time…._

_What do they call this….? PS? _

_Yeah._

_P. S._

_I’m kinda tired; I didn’t think I would be. But try to keep yourself out of trouble for a few days. Let me catch my breath, and then we can try to figure out how to work this out…._

_Thanks, kid. For everything._

Pounding footsteps thudded in the hall outside his room – a light-sounding set and a heavy pair.

“Arry?!”

“Son…?”

The paper fluttered to the floor as Arry lunged out of the chair; he heard it crash to the floor in the heartbeat before he opened the bedroom door.

He fell to his knees and pulled his mother into a wrenching hug against his heaving chest….


	28. What’s normal, again? I feel like we’ve redefined that a lot over the years, but hey? What’s life without a little craziness?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Figuring things out make take some trial and error....

“Hey, Arry! Gosh, it’s so good to hear your voice! How’s things going?”

“Hey, Vanny. Everything’s – well, fine would be a bit of a stretch, but we’re okay.”

“We…? You mean, you and ….”

“Erebus, yeah.”

He heard his sister suck in a breath on the other end of the line.

“Vanny?”

“Sorry. I guess…. I just get a little worried to hear you say it so… calm, like. I mean, it’s a little freaky, you know?”

“Oh, believe me I know. But, somehow…. I don’t know how to explain it, but I just kinda feel like things are settling a lot better now that I know I’m not crazy, that it’s not all my fault. I mean, he hasn’t been back since the wedding, but…. Please don’t worry about me. We’re okay. Now, tell me something…?”

“Okay, what?”

“How’s Caernes treating you?”

A breathy giggle rippled through the speaker on the handset.

“Fine. Great. Gah, I love being married!”

A few thumping sounds thudded in the background, and then Vania squealed breathlessly; Arry held the phone away from his ear with a grimace.

“Hey, kid, how’s things?”

“Fine, Caernes. Hey, I’m sorry I didn’t get to really talk to ya after the wedding, but you were kinda out of your gourd….”

“Yeah, I know. Dad got to me. And your dad, a bit. The Dads. Yo, kid, can my wiiii-ffe call you back?”

Light slapping sounds and indignant spluttering crackled through the phone.

“Sure. Have fun, brother.”

The silence on the other end was deafening. Arry thought they’d hung up on him, and he felt a blush steal over his cheeks.

He almost pushed the button to end the call when he heard what he’d been hoping for.

“Thanks, bro. I’ve been waiting for that.”

The little bleeping tone indicated the call had been ended.

Arry felt the tears well up as his heart swelled a little in his chest.

_Now that that’s taken care of, I think it’s about time we figured some things out. What do you say, voice in my head?_

He thought he felt a shrugging sensation lift insubstantial shoulders under his skin.

He clambered to his feet, swiping softly at the flecks of mud that speckled the flaps of his robe. He lightly passed a hand over the trunk of the shade-tree as he turned to walk across the side yard back to the mud room. He felt the swirls of the power that wasn’t quite his own roiling under his feet, and he tossed the phone lightly from hand to hand as he walked to door.

_Things are definitely better now. Which is freaking weird, for sure. But it’s like, I dunno…. Now that I know I’m not some evil, broken thing, it’s easier to keep calm. Things aren’t as, how would I put it, life or death every second. Not really. I mean, yeah, it’s still a lot of power for one dude, but we’re not really one dude, are we?_

He felt a thoughtful consideration ripple through him.

_Yep. We’ve got this. _

He opened the door, tucking the phone into the hidden pocket against his hip. The gloves settled around the phone in odd mimicry of living hands. He swiped the rag over his feet, cleaning away the mud and bits of lichen-duff, before he walked out and down the hall.

_I told Mother I was gonna try this today. Hopefully, she and Father don’t freak out if it works. _

He opened the door to his room, embracing the essence of the Void that always seemed to linger, halfway in this reality and halfway not. He remembered how Caernes had told him that, the first time they’d come in here and talked, that night years before, how Caer had been weirded out by the seeming stoppage of time in Arry’s room. He’d done some experiments over the years.

The only thing he could say for certain was that if he was enjoying himself, it did seem like time slowed down. But whenever he left the room, he knew what time it was supposed to be in the Underworld, instinctively, and it was like he stepped into that time without a hitch.

But sometimes, time did move differently in his room.

_I have got to remember to ask you that._

A sensation of growling frustration rippled through his mind.

_I didn’t mean like this. I meant in my note. It worked for you. It better work for me._

Surprise. Acceptance. Approval.

_That’s better. Now, settle for a minute or two. Let me get my brain straight. _

_Sorry. Our brain._

Affection….

He sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling the lap desk over his thighs. He tucked the bottom of the stand underneath himself and picked up his fountain pen, the words flowing down his fingers, asking the few questions he hoped the Titan would be able to answer by the morning. It didn’t take long before he wiped the nib of the pen clean on the small scrap of black silk kerchief and set the tray, letter laid flat over the top, to the side of his bed.

_Okay. I think I’m ready now. _

_You can come out now._

_Erebus?_

_Well, shit. If that’s not gonna work…._

_Okay, lemme try this…._

Arry took a few deep breaths.

He thought back to the fear and panic that had clawed him apart as Athena approached him from the lengthening shadows at his sister’s wedding. He let the memories sweep over him, carrying him along on their current. He felt his heart thump slower, slower, until it seemed it might stop….

* * *

_“FUCK, KID!”_

Erebus launched himself forward, off the bed, crashing hips-first into the desk one short Titan-step away. He bent over, clawing at the edges of the desk, raking his fingers over the wooden surface, as the fear and panic and rage slowly melted away.

“_SHIT! _No….

“No. No. NO.

“N. O.

“No. You’re not doing that again….”

His trembling hand snatched a piece of paper left convenient, another fountain pen weighing it down.

“That was not fun, kid. Never. The. Hell. Again.”

He jammed the pen harshly against the paper as he finished writing his note.

_Never fucking bring me out that way again. Find another way. Damn you, kid. That fucking hurt. !!!_

Flinging the pen across the room, he flopped back onto the bed, feeling his lungs trying to relax enough to breathe normally.

“Normal. Pshhh.

“It’s life, but it ain’t normal….”

He closed his red eyes, letting his head thump back against the wall as he slouched, limp from the strain, across the short width of the bed.

Some little time later, he sat up straighter with a groan.

“Alright, kid. I can’t remember what you were writing before you so rudely scared the fucking hell outta me. Lemme see….”

He reached over, picking up the paper between his thumb and forefinger, and scootched back more to the center of the mattress to read it, crossing his legs under himself like a pretzel.

_Erebus,_

_So, yeah. I guess you’re out. _

_Geez, this is awkward. I see why you didn’t keep going before._

_Keep it to the basics. _

_Alright, I think we need to establish a couple of, um, ground rules. Ask my father if you don’t know what those are._

_Here’s mine. These are not really negotiable, except in life-altering situations. Like, life and death. _

_I’m serious. Break these, and I’ll lock you down. Not sure how, yet. But I will._

_Rule number one. No flirting with my mother. _

_Geez. I don’t even know if you realized you were doing it. But she did. _

_Eyes – off. Hands – off. Just…._

_No. _

_Rule number two. I let you out, you sleep that night. No exceptions. _

_I wake us up in the mornings. _

_Rule number three. Don’t change my organization patterns. I don’t care if you clean up; gods know, I hate doing it. If you like it, have at. But don’t change any labels, and don’t “fix” things. _

_I know you haven’t yet; I just don’t want you to get any ideas. _

_My room. My rules. _

_Okay, that’s the big ones. The rest of whatever, I’m sure I can learn to live with. _

_Now, regarding your request. _

_You can stay. Provided you abide the rules. _

_See above. _

_Now, I do have a few questions. Try to answer them in your note – if that works for you. It certainly seems like a good plan for now._

_Like a weird pen pal in my brain that I’ll never really meet in person._

_Anyway._

_First – why yogurt? Of all the things in the world that you could have as an obsession, of all the realms…. Why? Yogurt? _

_It just seems a little childish for a five thousand year old deity thing. _

_Second – My mother said you were… um… a little insane. I just want to see if there’s…._

_Please forgive me._

_If there’s any chance of that bleeding over into me…?_

_I don’t logically think there would be, but I’d just like some headsup if you think it’s a possibility down the line. _

_Third – why do you get the cool silver-edged little black flames and I don’t? If it’s King power, why don’t I have it, too? _

_Doesn’t seem very fair to me. _

_Fourth – I want to keep us safe. _

_Do I need to stay away from Athena? From Zeus? Anybody else?_

_Do you think they’ll try to hurt us now?_

_Can you protect us if they did?_

_Okay, enough heavy. _

_Last – about time seeming to work differently here, in my room. What’s with that? If it’s too much to explain in a note, there’s a notebook in the drawer under the desk. Maybe you could put – I dunno, King’s advice or whathaveyou in there. If you have the time…._

_Enjoy the evening. Mom brought home a few bags full of yogurt for you. They’re in the fridge – a whole shelf. Lots of flavors. I didn’t bother to look. _

_And I think it’s pizza tonight. My favorite. _

_Hope you like it. _

_I’ll try to remember you can wink at me when I look at the mirror in the bathroom tomorrow morning. _

_I’ll try to remember you exist when I wake up. That scared me before. _

_Anyway. _

_Goodnight, voice in my head. _

_Have a good time, Erebus._

_-Arry_

“Geez, kid. Make me tear up, why dontcha?”

Rolling to his feet, he placed the note on the desk, slightly overlapped over his hastily-begun reply.

“Yogurt….”

Pelting out of the room, Erebus careened down the hall, feeling an excited laugh claw its way out of his throat.

_Have a good time, indeed…._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments, kudos, bookmarks - all encourage my swooning....


	29. Perceptions, but Weirder....

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Or - 
> 
> Experiences and Experiments and Ego....

Persephone closed the car door behind her, adjusting her purse onto her shoulder a little more securely as she waited for Hades to come around the back end of the Aston. She reached a hand out as he got closer, fingers beckoning gently for him to take her hand in his.

He hesitated, seeming wary of everything. His eyes darted to the door that led into the kitchen of his home, and he shivered slightly.

“What, Aidoneus?” She kept her voice quiet, also feeling wary and not a little worried.

“I can’t be sure, but I think that’s Erebus I’m sensing. A little more swirly feeling than Arry. It’s weird. It’s like I remember that feeling from when I was a kid….”

His eyes slid a little unfocused as he looked at her, listening, feeling something other than the garage around them.

“I just don’t know if that scares me or comforts me that I’m starting to remember….”

“I don’t think it should scare you. I told you: he’s dark, but he’s a good soul…. Just a little messed up.”

“Aren’t we all…?” He squinted his eyes a little, wrinkling his nose at her. The tension eased, and he took her hand. “Shall we go visit this weird son we somehow adopted without realizing?”

“Son…? I really don’t think you can call a being that’s more than twice your age a _son_, no matter the age of the body he’s inhabiting….”

“Shit, this is weird.”

“Aren’t we all…?” She wrinkled her nose and squinted her eyes up at him as he chuckled, the tension receding further as they stepped through the gently-opened door.

Red eyes looked up from the newspaper laid open on the kitchen island’s marble top, and a spoon piled high with light-pink yogurt froze halfway to the open mouth….

“Hi, guys. Whatever strawberries are, I think I’m in love! And what in the almighty cosmos is a volleying ball?!”

* * *

_Never fucking bring me out that way again. Find another way. Damn you, kid. That fucking hurt. !!!_

_Hey, kid. _

_Look, I’m not taking back the line I wrote up there, but I’m sorry I didn’t take the few seconds to word it a little better. _

_I’m mad, but not at you. You couldn’t have known, you had to try, I get it. But please, we’ve got to find another way. I can’t do that. Not again._

_I’d like to make a little suggestion. I don’t think it’ll work, but give it a try, maybe. _

_Go into the heartbeat, and go deeper. _

_No, I can’t explain it better than that. Figure it out. _

_Just do NOT bring me out with ANY memories that hurt, or are terrifying, or any shit like that, got it?!_

_Fuck…._

_Anyway. _

_Rules. I can roll with them. _

_Look, I wasn’t flirting with your mom. I’m not even sure what you’re referring to. Seriously. More specifics if you want me to back off. Cause I didn’t eyeball her, or ogle her, or anything. And I certainly didn’t lay a single lustful fingernail on her! So, what the hell did I do?!_

_Explain. And I’ll try to toe the line._

_Heh. Toe. Line. What line?_

_Weird expression. _

_I’m rambling. Hang on…._

_Okay, I had to look back at your note. I think we ought start keeping a file with these, but I don’t want to overstep your rule about organization. Make us a shelf or something, and we’ll date these suckers. _

_First – yogurt. I can’t explain it. It’s the most divine substance ever hatched from mortal mind. I don’t have to explain myself to you, infant. Just…. Grow up. Eat yogurt. It’s fantastic._

_Oh, strawberry…. I never knew there was a fruit that could just taste of summer. It’s perfection. I love it. _

_Your mom promised she’d bring home a bundle sometime, so I can try them fresh. _

_Do you like strawberries? I can’t remember. _

_Anyway. Second. Yeah, I’m a little messed up. But no, there’s no chance of any bleed-over to you. It’s all me. _

_But, I don’t know. It’s probably too soon to tell for sure, but I think I’m better than I was last time. Maybe it’ll get better the more we do this. _

_But find a better way than that mess today. _

_Heh._

_See above…._

_Third. You may be the King, but you’re a child. I’m not telling you secrets that took me eons to master. _

_Figure out the flames yourself, boy._

_Fourth. _

_I – _

[ink splatters dot the page for a few inches]

_I really don’t think I can talk about this right now. Just keep doing like you’ve done all these years. Stay down here, until we get more comfortable with our arrangements. _

_You’ve been doing great so far, really. Thanks. _

_Last – the time thing. See your King’s advice notebook…._

_Mwahaha._

_Okay, yeah. Pizza. I’ll give you that one. _

_But yogurt is still better._

_I’ll try not to scare you in the morning. _

_But no promises. I have a reputation of mystery to maintain, after all. _

_Thanks for the afternoon, kid. It was…._

_Fates….._

_Make me tear up, why don’t you?_

_I’m flopping on your bed now. _

_Enjoy the morning, Melarebus._

_-Erebus._

* * *

_King’s Advice_

_by Erebus_

_King of the Void _

_(first iteration)_

_Lord of Shadows and Truths Long Hidden_

_Primordial Titan _

_Lover of Yogurt_

_Entry 1._

_Regarding time in the chambers of the King. _

_You’re not wrong…._

[on the next page.]

_Entry 2. _

_You thought I was just leaving it at that?! _

_No, but really. _

_You’re not wrong, kid. Your – our – presence, it does affect the space where you let yourself be your Self the most. For you, that’s this room. _

_See, in the Void, time doesn’t really exist. It’s an extension of your mind. That’s why you can step from HERE to THERE in one step, no matter the actual physical distance between the H and T. _

_BUT, you could also just traipse through the Void, slowly, taking a lot of steps, and come out somewhere else, some other time. _

_Ask your parents what happened when they came home from the wedding. That’s exactly what I did there, and you should have seen their faces!_

_But, yeah. Time. It’s just how your mind perceives itself. _

_So if you want to spend more time on something, you can. And when you’re done, just head back out. _

_But it can be a temptation. So, wisdom is key._

_The better part of wisdom is remembering your responsibilities. _

_And that’s the King’s advice for this time around. _

_See you, kid. _

* * *

_Hey, Erebus. _

_So, I’m not bringing you out today. I’m still puzzling over your suggestion. _

_Into the heartbeat, I get that. But I don’t think there is a deeper…._

_I’ll keep working on it. _

_I won’t hurt you again. Promise. _

_King’s honor. _

_I wanted to write this stuff down before I forget, since it’s gonna be a day or two more before I can try to bring you back out. _

_I do like strawberries, but I’m not obsessed…._

_Thanks for not scaring me first thing in the morning. I appreciate it. But did I actually see you stick your tongue out at me after lunch? Cause if so, grow up…._

_I’ve got us a shelf, and I dated our previous notes. It’s on the far left, eye-level. Can’t miss it. _

_And no. I’m not trying yogurt just because you like it so much. It’s bad enough that I wake up with the remnant of the taste on my tongue. _

_Which brings me to Rule 4. _

_Brush my teeth before you put yourself to sleep at night. _

_For crying out loud…._

_Oh. And the King’s Advice? _

_You’re soooo hilarious…._

_-year 16, day 7 post-awakening._

* * *

_Year 16, day 9 post-awakening_

_I think this date system could work. Let me know what you think. Anything else just seems too impersonal…._

_Okay, I talked it over with my mother. She says it was something about the way you smiled at her? She said it was kinda predatory, but also innocent, like you didn’t mean it that way maybe, but her reaction – she didn’t wanna feel that for our body, basically. _

_I don’t know what smile she meant. She wouldn’t get specific. _

_So, sorry. Can’t help ya. Figure it out. _

_My, how the tables have turned. _

_Year 16, day 10 post-awakening_

_Okay, I’m gonna give this a try, Erebus. I think I’ve got it figured out. _

_Let me know how this works for you. _

_Your yogurt is still in the fridge, and Mom said she’ll be home around 8 with burgers. You’ll like burgers, I guarantee. My father should be home about the same time, but they’re in separate cars today._

_Oh. Fair warning. Mom’s gonna be worried, cause Vanny said she wants to come for a visit next weekend. That’s 6 days from now. If this works today, and if it’s okay with you and Vanny and Mom and all, I’m okay letting you meet her officially. You’ll love my sister, if you don’t remember anything I do about her; she’s the best…._

_And Caernes – well, he’s a bit stiff at first, and he’ll probably bring all your Kingly pride to the fore, but he’s a good sort. And he’s Vanny’s husband now, so he’s family. But yeah. That’s why Mom’ll be a little tense for the next few days. _

_So, you better behave yourself. _

_Alright. _

_Have a good evening. _

_-Arry. _

* * *

_Hey Arry. _

_I just brushed your teeth. Your toothpaste tasted awful._

_You should have let me keep the yogurt taste. This is just torture. _

_But, it’s a rule, so here I bend. _

_Everything has a price, I suppose. _

_I did stick my tongue out at you. Because it was funny. Ha. I don’t have to grow up; do it for me._

_I tried to figure out what smile your mom could have meant. I spent hours in front of the mirror!_

_Okay, not hours. That was a fib. It could have been hours, but there were other things I wanted to do. _

_I couldn’t figure it out. Hopefully it won’t happen again. _

_I promise. Not trying to flirt with your mom._

_King’s honor. _

_Date system seems fine. A little like code. I like the mystery. _

_Obviously, the heartbeat-deeper thing works. _

_Thank you._

_Did it feel as peaceful for you as it did for me?_

_Honestly. That was the best I’ve felt in a long time. _

_Not, well, not so long. That first bite of yogurt at the party is neck-and-neck there…._

_Oh! I tried lime yogurt today! Honestly, I’ve had better, but it was oddly refreshing. What are limes? I should have asked your mom, she knows a lot about plants, cute little flower._

_NOT FLIRTING! Sorry! She’s just…._

_There’s no other word to describe her except cute!_

_Anyway. I’m gonna let you have at again. _

_I think I’m ready to answer some more questions in King’s Advice; what’s the next thing you want to know?_

_I still feel like I could use a bit of a break, but I don’t think it needs to be quite so long. How about day after tomorrow? What will that be, ummm…._

_Day 12, post-awakening? _

_So, yeah. If it’s alright with you, I’ll look forward to it. _

_Oh. I do have a question for you. You don’t have to answer…. If it’s, um, uncomfortable._

_Do you remember any dreams from when I go to sleep? Cause, I have the strangest feeling that we actually dream, but you’re the one that wakes up, so I don’t know if it’s just my crazy again or what._

_So, if we dream…._

_Sweet dreams, Melarebus._

_-Erebus_

_(the real King.)_

* * *

_Year 16, Day 11, P. A. _

_We do dream. I’m not telling you what It was this time. Waaaay, waaaaaaay too personal. _

_Gah._

_And I like the taste of my toothpaste. So there._

_Day 12, P. A. _

_I wasn’t really paying attention to how it felt for me before. I was kinda lost in the deep of the heartbeat, I think, so, I’ll try to pay more attention today._

_I think I’d like to know how you and your family first discovered the heartbeat. I mean, it’s so out there, so …._

_Ethereal. _

_How did you even ever figure out how to do it?_

_Not really an advice bit, but maybe a bit of historical significance. Maybe we change the title?_

_King’s Advice and History, maybe._

_Also, what did you mean by “Lord of Shadows and Truths Long Hidden?” I just realized I meant to ask you that before…._

_Alright. I’m gonna try to pay more attention to how this feels this time. Maybe leave me a quick reminder in your bedtime note?_

_Mom didn’t tell me what she was making for dinner tonight. But she’s home. I think she’s hoping for more time with you, like, doing something kinda normal._

_Psssh. What normal, right?_

_Have a good evening, old man._

_-Arry_

_(the handsome King.)_

* * *

_Day 12 P. A., post-heartbeat._

_Okay, here’s your reminder. _

_AND WHO DO YOU THINK YOU’RE CALLING OLD MAN?!_

_And by the way, if you’re “the handsome King,” so am I. Your body is molded off mine, you little brat…._

_But I’ll give you this: Your pink eyes are super cute compared to my devilishly charming red ones._

_Take that, twerp. _

_Post-dinner._

_We made a salad with strawberries. _

_Strawberries are heavenly. _

_And I’m sorry. I think I inadvertently flirted again. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it, but I saw her flush out of nowhere! I don’t even know what I said or did!_

_I feel like a teenager._

_Oh, wait._

_I blame you. _

_Not really. _

_Maybe. _

_Moving on. _

_See King’s Advice for new entry. This will take me a couple of nights to get through. Maybe two days was too short, but three seems too long. I get bored. So, let’s stick with two. Maybe I’ll get stronger._

_I started with the easier question – my titles. _

_The other one’s going to be a little harder to answer…._

_Good grief. I’m done. _

_I’ll just go abrade the bony protrusions in our mouth._

_Sorry if the dreaming was awkward. If we have any good ones that you can share, I’d be delighted. _

_That is one thing I’m really missing…._

_Night, Arry. _

_-Erebus_

_(the tired King who can still kick your twerpy butt for not liking yogurt.)_

* * *

_King’s Advice and History, maybe._

_by Erebus_

_King of the Void _

_(first iteration)_

_Lord of Shadows and Truths Long Hidden_

_Primordial Titan _

_Lover of Yogurt_

_Entry 3._

_Regarding the King’s Titles and Roles_

_Specifically, _

_“Lord of Shadows and Truths Long Hidden”_

_The King of the Void is the manifestation of Self. The Self that is what a being Is. _

_Complete with all the dark corners and shadowed fears._

_The King of the Void is the Lord of the Shadows of Self. _

_The Shadows where the Self tries to hide. _

_Tries to hide from the truths of Self. _

_Tries to hide the Truths of Self. _

_The King of the Void is the King of Truths Long Hidden._

_In the shadows, he brings the truths to sight. _

* * *

_Day 13 PA_

_Thanks for remembering to brush, old man. _

_And I know my eyes are cute. Thanks!_

_Welcome to life in a teenage body, Erebus. Awkward is part of the package. Mom left early this morning. I think it was to avoid us. _

_We’ll get through it. _

_I’m sorry you were tired. I can’t even remember what that feels like. I mean, I’ve been emotionally exhausted, but it’s been too many years since I last slept before the cave…. I don’t remember feeling tired. _

_I didn’t realize I didn’t remember anymore. _

_That’s pretty freaky, actually. _

_But I’m sorry…._

_I fixed the title in the book. Seriously. I’m the twerp?_

_Old man, you’re the King of Twerps._

_Thanks for the information, though. _

_I’m not sure how I feel about all that. Seems like even more responsibility than I thought it was. _

_I’m still processing. Thanks for not writing anything on the heartbeat history question. I don’t think I could have stood the overload. _

_And yeah. Speaking of the heartbeat. _

_It was oddly peaceful. More than the regular one. _

_I really kinda liked it. _

_Looking forward to your next note in a couple mornings. _

_Mom brought you ice cream to try…._

_If you don’t leave yogurt behind after you try ice cream, I’m disowning you. _

_Night, Erebus. _

_-Arry_

_(the brilliant King.)_

* * *

_“King’s Advice and History, <strike>maybe</strike>.”_

* * *

_Day 14 PA_

_Glad to hear it was good for you, Arry. _

_And I do feel a little less tired this go-round. I think we’re getting better at this._

_And…._

_I accept the title of King of Twerps._

_Ice cream is now a matched favorite with all yogurt._

_And I think I’ll leave you to stew a little more on our responsibilities. _

_I want to focus on behaving, so maybe you’ll let me meet Vania. It’s all your mom talked about over the Rocky Road, her visit day after tomorrow. _

_Odd, how it falls on our next switch day, don’t you think?_

_Please let me meet her. _

_She does sound great._

_NOT FLIRTING, I SWEAR!_

_Okay. Enjoy the day…._

_-Erebus_

_(the behaving King.)_

* * *

_Day 16 PA_

_Okay, Erebus. _

_We’ll give this a shot._

_Vanny will be arriving at about 6, with Caernes. _

_I recommend you go sit outside under the shade-tree. The cypress. Outside the mudroom door. _

_That’s our spot. _

_I’ve always been able to feel calmer there than anywhere but my room. _

_And she always goes to look for me there. _

_You could let mom know to warn her, or not. _

_Whichever way you wanna do this. _

_But if you terrify my sister, I will lock you down. _

_She’s not the only one with a protective streak._

_Behave, and have a good time. _

_Get Caernes to drink some scotch. He’s a hoot. _

_And see if Vania will show you her wings. It’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. _

_And try not to flirt._

_-Arry_

_(the King of sacrifice)._

* * *

_Day 16 PA, post-heartbeat_

_Little dramatic, don’t you think?_

_I’ll behave. I know what this means to you, to let me meet her first._

_I know you miss her. I don’t have to read that in a note to know that._

_Thank you for the honor. _

_And the trust…._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your comments, kudos, bookmarks are all so very much appreciated! 
> 
> This chapter was a little experimental in and of itself, due to format, and subsequently length. I considered a few different ways to write it; the others seemed too stilted. This seemed to provide a lot more insight into Arry and Erebus, both as individuals, and as they're developing in their odd little head-share relationship. 
> 
> I've never really been a letter writer myself, so, this was a fun change of pace at the same time it was intimidating. 
> 
> I'm looking forward to your reactions and thoughts!


	30. When the Titan meets the Big Sister....

Vanny took a deep breath as she stepped out into the misty dusk of a late Underworld evening. She’d waited inside for an hour after she and Caernes arrived, hoping _he’d_ come inside.

It just felt a little manipulative that _he_ was sitting out there, in Arry’s spot.

Possessive beast.

She really wasn’t sure how she felt about all of this. She knew Arry said on the phone that he was fine. But that’s exactly what hostages are told to say, right?

But somehow, her mother was okay with all this, too.

She trusted the Queen of the Underworld’s instincts. There was no one more able to tell a dishonest bastard from a truthful soul.

So maybe, just maybe, this was alright.

But the Princess of the Underworld kept her own counsel and had decided to wait to meet the Titan King for herself.

She didn’t even realize she’d begun differentiating the two in her mind until that moment. It was like Arry was back to being her little brother and only her little brother, and everything else – his height, his Otherness, his power – _that_ was all the being sharing space in her brother’s brain.

But she knew that wasn’t true either.

In her heart, she knew.

She lightly opened her senses, feeling the call of the shades in the metropolis down the road. She felt the faint presence of the shade-tree cypress that hung, misty and dim, over the pale head in her brother’s favorite thinking spot.

She felt the spirals and swirls of power that were so much _more_ than she’d ever felt from Arry.

She saw that slightly-glowing head of hair shift a little, and thought she caught a glimpse of the curve of a slightly pointed ear peeking through the damp locks.

Turned almost unthinking toward her, feeling her brush against Its presence.

She couldn’t stop the shiver that rocked her body.

So….

_That’s what primal power feels like…._

The head shifted back away from her, the movement again so slight it was almost invisible. But she knew she was being given the time she needed to compose herself.

She felt a slight affection for this mysterious Other in her brother’s body.

_Maybe they share more than we know…._

* * *

Settling himself to wait on the young goddess to gather her courage, he looked out over the lights of the metropolis. Thinking. Wondering. Trying to incorporate the multitude of information he’d felt in that one fluttering psychic brush against his Self.

_Something about that one…._

_Almost like –_

He ground his teeth and squeezed his eyes as tight as he could get them.

_No. _

_Down, old son…._

He felt the panic ease slightly, and he let his head roll forward a little as he sighed softly.

_Keep it academic. _

_Kid’s sister’s never wielded any Titan power, but she kinda functioned like a sounding board for the kid when he was learning. He showed her the heartbeat first. She liked it._

_More than liked it, if I read that memory right. She almost craved it when he cut her off._

_Okay. _

_But he never showed Persephone or young Aidon…._

_I remember that. I remember worrying someone…._

_Would be able to tell they’d been touched by Titan power. Our power. _

_But Vanny, here…._

_That’s the difference. She’s already kinda touched. _

_Huh. _

_Almost like…. Almost like how Arry felt before I meshed with him fully that first time in the cave._

_OH! _

_Well, fuck…._

_I would NOT have wanted to be born back into a girl!!!!_

He felt a slight amused brush from the tendrils coiling around his Self, those little semi-sentient phantom fingers of his realm responding to his irritation.

_Yes. Thank you. I’m glad you waited a few years longer. Seriously. _

_We are NOT female…. You weird little mrphlrpmhs. _

“Hi there.”

He jumped a little and snapped his eyes open, but he kept his face turned toward the wavering lights in the distance.

“Hi.”

“I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Oh, didn’t you?” He turned just the fraction he needed to bring her into his peripheral vision, looking at her through a few limp strands of hair. He lifted the corner of his lip in a smug smile as she took an involuntary step back. “I think you rather enjoyed gaining some small advantage over me, little sun-bird.”

Her chest heaved a little as she tried to catch her breath and slow the racing of her heart.

He closed his eyes, guilt at scaring her pooling in his stomach.

“Sorry. I’m still working through some kinks in how people perceive my facial expressions. It’s been a while….”

He opened his eyes again, looking back out into the mist, giving her time again.

“Yeah…. Mom told me to ask you why you keep flirting with her.”

“I’M NOT!” He couldn’t stop the spluttering outrage as he stared at her, wide-eyed, seeing her smirk at his discomfort. “buh-egh, I-I-I'm n-n-no-not.... – why does everyone keep saying that?!”

“You call her cute little flower.”

“SHE IS! She’s no other word but cute, and she’s a spring’s goddess, she’s flowers!”

“You smile at her with that wolfish little grin and snappy eyes.”

“Huh?”

“Kinda like the one you just gave me…?”

“….”

“You still with me, in there?”

“THAT’S what she thinks is flirting?!”

“Um, yeah. It’s definitely a flirt….”

“NO, IT’S NOT! IT’S JUST A SMIRK!”

“A self-satisfied, cat-that-ate-the-canary smirk.”

“A who the what the huh now?”

She laughed, and he felt his eyes go wide, tears pooling in the corners….

_Rhea’s laugh_….

_Dammit. What is with me today…?_

* * *

Laughing, Vania let herself enjoy the moment. There was something odd about the being before her, but it definitely wasn’t really malevolent. More like something so ancient and different and strange that there was a disconnect in how he thought he was interacting with others, and how he really was.

_Not that much different than another little brother…._

_Except there is a sadness there, kinda all through him._

_Well, never let it be said that Vania, daughter of Hades and Persephone, turned aside from a troubled soul._

“Hey, I’m sorry I laughed at you. You’re just…. You’re really not what I was expecting.”

“No trouble, little sun-bird. I’m glad we’re getting acquainted, even if you do have the advantage over me more than I was expecting.”

She chuckled a little again. “Why do you keep calling me that?”

“What now?”

“Sun-bird. Little sun-bird. Arry calls me that. That’s his nickname for me.”

“Nope. Kid stole it from me.”

“How’s that now?”

“Laaaccchtfff.” His voice grumbled and rolled, the vowels elongated with purring growls in his throat and the fluttering snarl on the end raised the hair on her arms. She’d never heard something so alien.

Vanny just blinked at him.

“Little sun-bird.”

Another blink.

“It’s Titanspeech, Vania.”

“Oh…. and it means, what, exactly?”

“Little sun-bird.”

“Which is what?!”

“You. Butterflies. All little twittering birds that flit around in the bright sunlight. Dragonflies. Sparrows. Cardinals. Lacewings. Little sun-birds, all of them.”

“Seriously?”

“Mmmhmmm.”

“So, Titanspeech is categories?”

This time, he threw back his head, laughing. She thought how much of her father’s belling tones she heard in his voice, and also something slightly _off_ – panicked, even – to the way his laughter rose and fell and jumped and dived.

Finally, he seemed to come back to himself, brushing long fingers under his eyes to swipe away the moisture.

“Not always. But a lot of the time, yeah. It was easier when there weren’t so many specific things…. You know, five thousands of years back, give or take. All little flitting things that were awake in the daytime were laaaccchtfff, and flitting things that were awake at night were just nooorrrlllaaa…. Bats, moths, swallows and nightjars.”

“Whoa. That’s weird….”

“Aren’t we all…?”

He smiled at her, eyes gentle, and she smiled back.

“Now, see, that’s a nice smile. It’s not flirty, not much….”

“Well, thanks….”

A friendly silence settled between them for a few minutes. The mist faded, leaving the dark of the Underworld to glitter sharply against the landscape spread before them.

“So, little sun-bird. You make up your mind about the scary Titan in your brother’s head?” Though he tried to fling the words out with a joking lilt in his tone, he turned his face away from her, eyes tight at the corners, bracing for the pain her words might inflict.

“I think I have.”

He just waited, shoulders still as he seemed to stop breathing.

“I’ve decided he’s not so different from my little brother after all, and I’d like to get to know him a little better. So I’ve also decided to go back inside to dinner.”

She rocked onto her knees, and then rose fluidly to her feet, all the way to her tiptoes before he turned his head to look at her. The open affection and wary trust she saw in his eyes went straight to her heart, and then her wings. They fluttered gently, lifting her softly off the ground, and she smiled brilliantly at him as his mouth fell open.

“Holy crap! Kid wasn’t kidding!”

“Arry been telling stories on me?” She threw her fists on her hips, all defiant indignation.

“Only that you’re beautiful and strong and protective and he loves you.”

“Awww, Arry….”

“Awwwww, yourself. Tell him tomorrow. Let’s eat.”

With that, Erebus rolled onto his feet, uncoiling smoothly from the ground in a single unearthly movement. He turned on his heel, long flowing strides carrying him with predatory grace toward the mudroom door. She sprinted after him, feeling her feet barely touching the ground as she strove for lift with her near-incorporeal wings. She laughed once, triumphant, as she came alongside his waist.

And then she nearly fell flat as his body disappeared with his next footfall into a billow of smoke and mist and flaring little tongues of black flame with silver edges.

She thumped against the mudroom door before she could stop her horizontal free-fall. Shaking her head, confused, bewildered, she fumbled for the knob.

She just stared as red eyes glowed from the doorway into the hall. A mud-covered cloth dangled limply from one long-fingered pale hand, and he tilted his head to the side, milky hair cascading over the sharp lines of his face.

“Ha.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, TIA for all the comments/kudos/bookmarks! Y'all make it easy to keep following where my headspace friends lead!
> 
> Much swooning love to you all!


	31. Looking Ahead (Looking Behind) - Because Time is as Nothing in the Void

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, little ones! Per prior readers' experiences, Swoonie recommends setting aside time to binge chapters 31 through 35 together!
> 
> Proceed, and enjoy!

_Evening Arry._

_Your sister sure is a delight._

_And I did not get her husband drunk. He was adamant about behaving. _

_Strange, all this behaving. Makes it harder to have a little fun._

_Not really. It was nice. I did enjoy myself, dinner was delicious, and the conversation…._

_It’s nice to feel like I have a family again._

_Thanks for sharing them with me…._

_You’ve got a little gift in King’s Advice, Young Majesty._

_Should keep you busy thinking for a while._

_-Erebus_

_(the longing King.)_

* * *

_Entry 4._

_Regarding the Heartbeat of the Cosmos_

_Specifically,_

_On the Origins of the Sons and Daughters of Life_

_In the early years of Life under the breath of Oranus, held close in the warmth of Mother Gaia, the young Titans were capricious to all fault. Not one of them understood the deeper significance of their existence; they merely reveled in existing. They played hard under the bright light, and under the dark breath of the nighttime stars, they told fanciful stories in the language only they spoke. Gaia and Oranus could not comprehend their wondrous children’s broken speech, for it dealt with things which the children interacted with in their reality, and the Primordial Ones knew only in theory._

_For already they had begun to withdraw, letting their children make their own choices. _

_In the darkness of the nighttime, and in the shadows of soon-ancient trees in the daylight, I watched over them. _

_Though at times they included me in their play – and willingly I went, laughing with them and feeling their happiness twinkling like the stars – often, they ignored me. I was not of an age with them, though I do not really remember much of anything from before their first bright cries in the dawn of the ages. _

_I watched over them as they played. _

_I grew to love them. _

_I felt their triumphs as the aspects of their own natures found release in the world that Gaia and Oranus had given them. For some, the power of flight on soaring wings of deep colors. For others, long strides that left magic with every footfall. For some, the physical things were precious and dear. For others, it was the more ethereal. _

_For all, it was like play for long, long years…._

_While some were able to mature more swiftly than others, all remained childlike in their passions; swinging wildly from happy pleasure in simple joys to ripping anger at imagined slights. _

_Wild. _

_Untamed._

_My guidance began to be unheeded. _

_For I was not a parent to be feared. _

_I was not an older sibling to be respected._

_I was merely Erebus. The name they gave me in their tongue that I strove to master, the language that came easier to me as the long years of play wore on…._

_The Stranger One within the Shadows._

_Rhea was the most like Gaia of all those in my sight. Her laughter silenced birds in awe, and her smiles could bring proud Helios to his glowing knees. _

_If ever you wish to hear bright Rhea’s laughter, listen to your sister’s voice…._

_Her resemblance did not end there. She was kind. Gentle. A mother from the day she began to speak. She most of all of them listened to my advice, encouraging her sibs to learn control, temperance, and respect for their power rather than debauching in ecstasy of their gifts. _

_In the end, her voice, bright and twinkling though it was, still could not tame her willful brother King._

_I’d like it if you shared this next with your father. It might help him become a little more than he is now…._

_Kronos was not always the darkness of the galaxies in our hearts. He took that form as an intimidation, a fear-trigger to bend his more reluctant sibs to his will. _

_Bright Rhea saw through him, and ignored her instincts. She thought her love could tame him._

_Kronos devoured power as mortals devour bread. He learned to take from the life Gaia bestowed upon the earth; he drained her for his own gain._

_And because She had given them their choices to make, she could not stop him. _

_With every patch of earth that turned to bitter ash and bloody dust, Kronos grew stronger. His thoughts turned darker, and with that darkness, a cold clarity of thought. His control grew. He formed his plan. _

_He would be the King of the Cosmos. _

_And he would take Rhea for his own…._

_I want Aidon to know that while the form he inherited from his father was used for fear and to manipulate innocents, the power that grants it is something wondrous. _

_As Kronos devoured more and more, taking more and more strength from Gaia, Oranus poured himself into his consort, trying to sustain her under the predations of her terrifying son. _

_But all it did was bind Oranus to the flow of power that Kronos was devouring so unceasingly. _

_Oranus grew weaker. He begged Gaia to hold on, just a moment longer. _

_Oranus condensed his power, condensed his Self, and thrust everything he was down the Titan’s gaping heart. _

_Kronos felt the cold of the galaxies leach into his flesh. He saw his skin grow bereft of light, except for the eyes of his father’s heavens. _

_Kronos saw the evidence of his power’s increase, and rejoiced. _

_Oranus had tricked his arrogant son into thinking he’d absorbed enough power to become like the Primordial Ones. With his final independent thought, he saved the soul of Life itself. _

_The black galaxy of young Aidon’s Titanomic form is the evidence of a love beyond the measure of the stars._

17PA

Erebus.

You’re right.

That’s gonna take a lot to process. But thank you.

And my father thanks you, too….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm playing a little with the mythos of the Titans, but I cry your pardon, as I couldn't stop myself from writing it this way.
> 
> Comments, kudos, and bookmarks are my Yogurt!


	32. Processing

Arry couldn’t get the images out of his head. He saw everything that Erebus had written as if a shadowy play was performed behind his lids. He could stop watching, moving on to something else, but if his thoughts turned back to the latest entry in the King’s Advice and History, it’s like the curtains were drawn back and up, and translucent shapes half-remembered from the Other’s mind played out their early days in snippets and vignettes of acted-out emotion.

Arry wondered if this would ever stop.

He went about his day – Day 17PA – and he tried to think past the memories of a lonely deity. But something nagged at him.

He thought he was missing something in the misty play that wouldn’t leave him alone.

But what?

It was almost dinner-time; his mother was bustling about in the kitchen, his father was finalizing some report or other in the library, and Arry was in the den, trying to complete a crossword puzzle in his newest book. The pen in his fingers was just finishing a hatchmark through the most recent clue when the visions leapt into his mind again. He dimly registered the giant black smudge pooling over the surrounding clues and hints before he slammed his eyes shut, angry at the intrusion.

_I thought you said there were walls to keep you from bugging me like this!_

The visions stopped, though there was a faint, fading echo of bright laughter and moonlit mist.

Sorrow. Regret.

He felt the lump in his throat swell, and then fade.

He couldn’t tell if Erebus was watching him, but he whispered, almost silently,

“Sorry I got mad.”

There was no answering feeling in his empty mind.

Later that evening, comfortably stuffed with vegetable soup and fresh-baked rolls, Arry tried to recall the visions. However, something was different. The images he could see. The small child-Titans running, playing, learning, maturing. He could see them all.

But the flavors of the memories were missing.

He realized that maybe Erebus had been trying to share his feelings, not just the actual words or events, and he felt a little guilty again at his outburst.

_Erebus? You there, old man?_

Emptiness answered him with silence.

_Come on, man. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. I know you weren’t trying to mess me up. I’m willing to see what you wanted to show me…._

Nothing. But not the Nothing of the Void. Just –

Nothing.

Non-thought.

Emptiness.

_Okay. Let me make it up to you. I’ll open the door, okay. Come on through, and tell me what I did wrong. Paper’s on the desk, yeah? Alright. _

Closing his eyes, he let himself sink into the embrace of the heartbeat. He felt his heart slow, and get deeper, more resonant, echoing in silence through his soul.

Arry opened his eyes a few minutes later.

_Okay, man, you’ve got me worried now. _

He slung himself to his feet, not caring that the edges of his robe caught on some scrolls hugging the edges of his desk. Scrolls he’d meant to tidy up so Erebus wouldn’t feel obliged to do it in a few days.

He threw open the bathroom door, eyes locking on the mirror.

_Come on, man. You in there?_

Pink eyes stared back at him, unchanging.

Confused.

Worried.

_What have I done?_

Arry spent a sleepless night, worried for the first time since the wedding, because he didn’t have even the slim comfort of knowing Erebus would answer him the next night.

_We decided two-day intervals, right, old man?_

Still Nothing.

_Dammit, man. I’m sorry. _

He finished the book he’d been working through, a tedious but thorough study of the various plant life indigenous to the Underworld’s furthest shores. 300 pages of droning monologue from a long-faded botanist, and he still had to spend another timeless while practicing his Primordial to get through to the moment his parents’ alarms blared out in other parts of the house in the morning.

His fragile control over the time-space in his room was slipping as his worry about Erebus increased.

He didn’t go down to breakfast.

His mother came to his room before she left.

“It’s nothing, Mom. Just a bit of trouble with Erebus. I’ll figure it out.”

“Are you sure, Arry? You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, Mom. Go to work, we’ll be okay.”

“Love you, baby.” She flitted up to plant a light kiss on his cheek. He felt the warmth travel down to his heart, and he smiled brightly as his mother continued flying back down the hall, running just a little late for work.

He left his room, heading back to the den.

“Returning to the scene of the crime. Brilliant move, Melarebus.”

He did stop off in the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water from the tap. It chilled to frosting in his hand as he finally settled in his huge chair in the den. The little pink and blue coasters his mother kept littered around the house were nowhere to be seen, so he almost unthinkingly _called_ one in through the edge of the Void from where he’d left it in his room a few days before.

“Huh. I couldn’t do that before, Erebus. You’ve been a big help, man. Let me make my outburst up to you, okay? Come on.”

He closed his eyes again, drifting down into the pull and push of the cosmic tides. He thought he felt something shift inside his skin, and he struggled to maintain the peaceful, calm feeling of going deeper than conscious thought, deep into the flow of the cosmos.

Suddenly, he felt his mind slammed back to awareness from within himself. As if a giant foot had reached out and kicked closed a door that he’d been standing just beyond.

“Seriously? That’s a little petty, don’t you think?”

He felt a non-rumble of irritation, but at least it seemed Erebus wasn’t completely ignoring him anymore.

“Man, come on. Show me what I didn’t want to see yesterday, and I’ll give ya the whole rest of the day? What do you say? I feel bad, Erebus, lemme make this right….”

Frosty irritation, this time.

Grumpiness.

A little fear.

“Please, Erebus….?”

Wary acquiescence.

“Thanks.”

He coasted down the internal slope of his Self, letting the drift carry him along. He felt a mild pleasure at this being so easy now….

He felt the uncoiling of the Other, and they passed each other in the space inside their mind.

Erebus opened his eyes, staring straight at the glass of water on the coffee table before him. The little cutesy coaster caught the drips from the glass’s melting frost.

He didn’t care.

What was the point?

They were all gone….

He walked down the hall, the black floors cooling in his wake as he let the pain tear into him.

The door blasted open, and a few scrolls and papers fluttered away from his body as he made his way over the few short steps to the bed.

Collapsing onto the edge, he flung his head back and his legs up, sliding into the hollow down the center of the mattress. The hollow built just for this body.

This body that wasn’t really his.

The emotional pain bit him, scratched him, with teeth of memory and claws of choices unmade.

Chances not taken.

And the kid wanted to know why he was messed up? Why he’d let the walls come down just enough?

He had meant it when he said he enjoyed dinner that night. He had meant it when he said it was nice to feel like he had a family again.

He just hadn’t reckoned on the pain that self-admission would leave him.

Because his family had never even been like that.

No. His family….

So, he’d tried to bleed away some of the pain by telling the kid one of the foundation stories. And that had only opened up more bloody heart gashes and mental wounds the size of worlds.

Self-sabotage. That’s what it was.

He was Self-sabotaging.

Because it had always been all his fault….

His voice was hollow, dead, as he sat back up on the edge of the bed. “So, kid, you wanna know why I tried to share and then so rudely cut you the hell off?”

He took the single step from the bed to the desk chair, pulling the King’s Advice and History notebook from the drawer and picking up a bone-white pen.

“Buckle up. It’s not a fun ride….

“We’re the Lords of Truths Long Hidden.

“And, boy, I’ve got one hell of a Shadow.”

Persephone bumped the door open, her hands full of grocery bags and her purse handles between her teeth. Her hip sent her an angry retort at the rough treatment, but for whatever reason, the little gem in the knob hadn’t responded to her mental command to open. She’d managed to get a couple fingers over it, precariously balancing the eggs in the top of the paper bag, but she’d managed it.

The door opened at her curves-based assault, and she nearly dropped the bags anyway.

The not-cold of the Void filled her kitchen as Erebus stared at her from his seat at the island. The untouched yogurt cup before him was covered in condensation, a little puddle around it testament to how long it had been sitting on the marble surface, outside the comfort of the fridge.

“Hello, little flower.” Persephone struggled to remember to breathe as a predatory smile lifted his lips, white teeth the same shade as his skin. But whatever humor might have been seen in that smile was completely missing. There wasn’t even the innocent awkwardness of his normally friendly grins.

Because those red eyes looked absolutely dead inside.

“Please tell the kid I need at least four days this time. I’m done talking to him for a while. If he wants to share what I left him in the book, I don’t care. It doesn’t matter.”

He stood, silent as a grave.

“I don’t think it ever really mattered.”

Tears spilled from her eyes as he left the room, clouds of smoke and little flames licking from the hems of the robe and the cuffs of the not-sleeves at his wrists.

Blue flames….

Persephone sobbed as the sorrow filling the kitchen swept her into its heavy embrace….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments, Kudos, and Bookmarks are my Yogurt! Keep 'em coming!


	33. Entry 5 (Self-Sabotage and Regret)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning - serious disjointed scenes of grief and self-loathing.

_Entry 5._

_Regarding the Sons and Daughters of Life_

_The children of my heart when all else failed me…._

_I don’t remember much before I first heard their little cries. _

_They popped out of Gaia’s skin like daisies and tulips in the soft light of Oranus’ joyful happiness. They crawled and flopped and toddled, all within minutes of being born._

_And then they started eating. _

_Those first few heartbeats were like you gods’ ambrosia. Something that just sustained Life without any other purpose or necessity. _

_I felt them, knew them, and I loved them._

_Gaia and Oranus fed them from their own selves while I watched in wonder at the miracles I saw toddling about in our space. So passionate, these little beings. So violent in their happiness, so somber in their rage. _

_I could not help but love them. _

_And therein lies all our pain._

_I loved them. _

_I could not end Him when he threatened the lives of the others. _

_I watched him as he ripped his mother’s body apart in his greed. I watched him as he swallowed the last breath of Oranus into himself, as he incorporated the portion of the cosmic power that Oranus left as the bait for the trap. _

_I called out to him, begged him to stop._

_And he lashed out at me in rage. Rage that I would stand against him, he who saw himself as equal now to me in power._

_He struck me, and for the first time, I felt pain. _

_Physical pain so sharp and flaring it felt like sorrow._

_Emotional pain so harsh and cutting it ripped like claws._

_I felt pain, because of all of them, I’d loved him most._

_He’d always been willing to step into the shadows with me when they played as children. I taught him the secrets of the Shadows. Taught him to step between them, to jump from the shadow of one ancient tree and emerge from the shadow of a boulder, there. We shadow-jumped for days at a time, encompassing the whole of Gaia’s loving Self with our fun._

_He’d refused to call me the Stranger One, as did his sibs. _

_He simply called me Shadows._

_Ere._

_And I loved him._

_How I loved him._

_And I could not stop him. _

_I chose._

_Like the children that had grown under my shadows and into my heart, I chose._

_I wrapped them in my love. I bound their fate to mine. No matter what he did to them, I would not let them go alone. _

_Because I knew that I could have stopped him. I had the power. _

_I could have unmade him in the moment he swallowed Oranus’ last breath._

_I could have unmade him any fleeting moment before that. _

_Until he was struck down by –_

[ink splatters and droplets cover the bottom of the page]

_Until I was killed that day, I had the power to end his reign of terror. _

_But I chose not to._

_Because I counted him my son. _

_My first love._

_Instead, I went deep within my Self. I drew upon much of the power of the Void, of my Self, my Realm, and I worked a wonder. It is not pride. It is simple truth. _

_I bound my life to theirs. _

_I made myself their incorporeal shield in the darkness. I bound my heart to their blood. I took one breath in the Void as I whispered the final syllables in words so dark I’ve since lost them to the pain…._

_And I woke in the shadows to an infant’s angry cry._

_Rhea’s little blue Aidoneus. _

_My little Aidon. _

_His father’s son…._

_I knew with utter certainty that as long as I lived, so too would the children of my heart. And as long as they and their blood lived, so too would I. I bound myself to the line of the Titans._

_Because I could not bear to be alone after I had watched my little ones grow beside my shadows. _

_But the binding had changed something within me. It made me even more Other than I had already been. _

_Everything has a price._

_No longer did the majority of my little ones remember me, or recognize my softly thundering voice. They could not see me when I watched them from the shadows. _

_A few did. _

_Rhea. She let me hold her tiny blue boy in my shaking, misting hands._

_She held me close as I wept tears of blue smoke._

_Nyx recognized me, but she couldn’t understand me. _

_She was always a little batty, though. I didn’t worry much. She still winked at me with three eyes and smiled her toothy smile. And that was enough. _

_Metis could hear me in her dreams, but she didn’t remember anything when she awoke. _

_Kronos could see me. And he could hear me._

_And he hated me with every breath he took._

_Hated me, because I had bound him to ineptitude. _

_He could not harm my little ones._

_But the magic is fickle in the Void. It had a mind of its own. _

_He could harm the younger generation. _

_And he started with my young Aidon. _

_That’s why I was messed up, Arry. _

_And I need you to back off if you want to keep your brain intact. _

_I’m barely holding on here, kid. _

_Give me time…._

_Or I’ll rip your mind apart…._

_I’m too broken for you to fix, so stop trying. _

_It’s done. _

_They’re gone. _

_And all I have left are Shadows._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was definitely hard to write. I teared up. 
> 
> Cause, see, I lost my mom almost ten long years ago. And I don't know why I do this to myself, write stuff so I have to do stuff like this.
> 
> But here's the thing. When someone you love dies, or changes so much it's like they died, you start to feel a little insane. Stuff seems disconnected, stuff goes missing in your mind. 
> 
> You might feel like your mind becomes a vast well of nothing, with one little speck of coiled power in the far center of the space....
> 
> And you might worry, fear, that if you get to close to that singularity,
> 
> It will tear you apart. 
> 
> At least, that's kinda how it was for me, when I finally woke enough from the depression to face it. 
> 
> Ere here is dealing with some of the same stuff. 
> 
> He is a little crazy. 
> 
> He's more than a little broken. 
> 
> He's hurting. Bad. 
> 
> And he's lashing out in rage like a wounded animal at the one who kinda sorta started the whole thing - Arry. 
> 
> I'm sorry if this triggered anybody too badly. 
> 
> Believe me. You're not alone, and I wrote the damn thing. 
> 
> Things are gonna start getting better from here, though.
> 
> When you stand at the center of the singularity of grief, the only way you can move is out. 
> 
> Toward the light of the stars.


	34. Intervention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one's long. And heart-rending. 
> 
> You have been warned.

Arry wondered, probably for the hundredth time, if they were doing the right thing. They’d waited five days. Five nail biting days of worry for him; five days of trying to ignore the silence in his mind that seemed so foreign. He hadn’t realized he’d felt Erebus for years; much longer than just the couple of weeks he’d actually begun actively sharing headspace with the ancient being.

He missed the shadowy presence. The odd, out-of-place thoughts that somehow made sense and made things easier when he was really struggling. Strange little hints gleaned from ancient books he hadn’t really paid attention to before. A sense of familiarity when he confronted things that seemed so far beyond his capabilities, and that made it easier to find solutions that worked for him with the least stress and trauma.

He hated this silence.

It wasn’t even a normal, alone in your own head with your own thoughts silence.

This silence –

It seemed to breathe.

In the deepest hours of the night, when Arry couldn’t help but wonder if Erebus would be okay, or if he’d pushed too far and broken something in the Titan’s fractured Self, he could feel a _shift_. Like a restless sleeper turning over from the glancing kiss of a cool breeze.

And when it wasn’t seeming to breathe a hidden breath, it felt like the breath was held….

Clenched tightly behind grinding teeth….

Before a plunge from a high place, toward whatever horror waited in the darkness below.

So far below….

So, yes. He wondered if they were doing the right thing….

_Hard choice either way. If we leave him alone, if we don’t try to bring him back to the surface, he may never come back. I may lose him entirely to the regrets that haunt him._

_If he does surface, though…._

_How unstable will he actually be?_

_There’s no way to know, and only one thing to do._

_We’ve gotta try._

_He deserves that much at least. For us to try._

Which is why he was sitting in his oversized black leather armchair in the den, surrounded by his family.

Their family.

His father stood beside the largest couch, hand placed on his mother’s shoulder: not for control, but the warmth of the contact, to ground himself, Arry knew without having to ask. Vania was perched on the arm of another chair, Caernes slouching in the deep seat below. Her feet were tucked under his thigh, and his hands wrapped around her calves in a leaning embrace.

Arry felt their love, their concern, and tried to channel some of that into the slipping slide as he drifted down into the push and pull of the cosmos’ beating heart.

Because they weren’t only here for him….

He drifted down. He felt something dark and wounded coiling beneath him, trying to turn away from the warmth and care he brought with him into the deepest parts of his Self.

_Erebus…._

_Please…._

_You need to face your Shadows, Lord of Truths Long Hidden._

_Stop running._

_Please…._

_Come back…._

He sensed more than saw the dark coils turn toward his summons. His pleading words.

He sensed more than saw the red eyes flare in pain and rage and fear and hate and passionate, rending grief.

He couldn’t do anything but stand aside as the coils unwound and the power wider than realms and deeper than thought rushed past him in a river of emotion so powerful, it knocked him mentally spinning.

He hoped they were doing the right thing….

He hoped the love of his family could help the broken King to heal….

* * *

Persephone watched as her son’s breathing slowed, and she felt his aura go still, as still as the tide pools on the beaches of Acheron in the hours after the fullest moons. Then she felt a pulsing beat, slower than her own heartbeat, and she saw Vanny’s bright smile. Vania nodded at her vigorously, making hand motions as if to say, “see, see, I told you he could do it!”

But none of them spoke, and none of them moved aside from that one short outburst from Vania.

They simply waited.

The pulsing continued, slow, steady. A heartbeat ancient and deep.

Until it stopped.

And Arry’s breathing stopped with it. She stared at his face, fear beginning to gnaw at her restraint.

She felt her husband’s nails dig into her shoulder as he trembled in the deafening psychic silence.

Arry’s lowered eyelids twitched, and Persephone knew something had gone terribly wrong.

She opened her mouth to warn her family, but there wasn’t even time for a breath.

The coiling power spiraled out from Arry’s long body, nearly instantaneous in its expansion. Dark billows of smoke, crackling tongues of black and blue flames, all edged in silver plasma streaks, grey mist threaded through the mass of power: it swelled and roiled like a supernova, but instead of light, Nothingness blinded them all.

Her husband’s voice rang out through the deafening thunder of violently silent passions; she wasn’t quite sure how he managed it, her lungs felt locked tight inside her chest.

“Erebus!”

The billowing cloud of power halted in its tracks. Frozen: the tendrils of mist didn’t even writhe a fraction….

And then, as swiftly as it had expanded, it retreated, the cloud condensing and shrinking in size and intensity until it disappeared within the pale, unmoving body in her son’s favorite armchair.

The eyes were closed, the pale head slightly bowed.

Persephone managed a shaky breath, as quietly as she could take it in.

Red eyes locked on hers, and she froze under the haunting light of the weight of millennia of pain and self-hatred.

And loss.

Oh, so much loss.

Her heart clenched behind her ribs, and she resisted the impulse to dig her fingers into the skin over it.

“How long?”

The same hollow voice. The same wretched pain tearing through the ragged edges of tightly leashed control.

Persephone once more couldn’t stop the tears….

* * *

Hades felt when his wife’s shoulder began to shake under his hand, suppressed sobs rocking him to his core as he fought the instincts within him.

Defend.

Protect.

No matter the cost.

He bit them all off, grabbed each instinctive response in a stranglehold as it reared its writhing head within his mind. Tied them in knots and locked them in a drawer.

_No alpha battles here today, no sir._

“Five days.” He nearly collapsed as he heard his voice obey his silent command to sound anything but as breathless as he felt himself to be.

“Not long enough, I think.” The dead sound of the words scared him, almost more than his father’s teeth and the long, long years of loneliness.

_There’s no way to break through that much grief, that many walls. I don’t know how we can help him…._

The Titan in his son’s large body rose, fluidly, gracefully. And Hades knew with a certainty beyond thought that one wrong move in word or deed would see all that savage power unleashed in physical, mental, psychic, magical assaults – every method, every route, every option possible. There would be no mercy, and no reprieve.

They were walking a knife’s honed edge, and the hand that held the knife was shaking from the long ages of pain.

He prayed to Gaia they could find a way to get through to this grief-crazed primal King.

* * *

Vania watched the swirling coils of insubstantial black and grey and silver and blue power as the wretched Titan rose from the chair. Her heart pounded as she saw those long-fingered hands tensed, curling halfway into fists, claws of anger and pain waiting for a chance. 

She saw the red light glinting toward her father across the suddenly too-small space as mighty Erebus took in a rumbling breath: the sound almost below the threshold of hearing, a not-sound that nevertheless demanded acknowledgement of the power, the threat, within the room.

Begged for help. 

Cried out for relief.

Vania reached her hand toward the pale fingers closest to her, leaning away from the arm of the chair where she perched, little sun-bird that she was; she barely registered Caernes tensing his arms around her legs, keeping her from falling, but not stopping her movement. Not restraining her. 

Trusting her to do what they could not.

Those pale, moonlight fingers that vibrated with shadows and pain went deathly still as she wrapped her darkly-toned burgundy ones around them in a gentle embrace....

* * *

Caernes sucked in a breath as those dead read eyes locked on his wife's tear-filled black ones. The pale head so far above his hadn't even seemed to move. 

_Please, Fates.... Oh hear me, Gaia. _

_Help us reach him, and save my Vanny...._

* * *

The King of Souls felt his heart jump against his ribs as the moon-pale giant before them suddenly _flickered_, and then disappeared from view.

He heard a slight thump from another part of the house. It sounded like the door of the fridge in the kitchen. His breath whooshed out of him as Persephone lurched against him, near fainting, and Caernes snatched Vania into a tight, rib-crushing hug.

It took all of them a few minutes to gather themselves in the sudden break in the tension. Finally, he gave himself a slight shake. "It should be me."

"No." Persephone's voice was hard, like ice, like the cold of Tartarus. 

"I agree, sir. We said we would do this together, and alone is not together."

"I don't think we can stick with that, Caer." Vanny placed gentle fingers, only trembling slightly, along her husband's dark indigo cheek, thumb lightly stroking the sheen of sweat or tears from under his eye. He leaned softly into the touch. "I don't think he can take the strain of a full-on group talk. I think it needs to be one-on-one, and I think his young Aidon has the best chance of getting through."

Hades felt his throat grow tight with emotion; he couldn't tell if it was from pride at his daughter's queenly proclamation, or dimly remembered dreams of his long-distant childhood before everything went to hell.

Persephone stood, placing her hands flat against his chest. She floated into the air, her hair lifting and writhing as the shadow of her crown fizzled into view. Red vines and thorns threaded like lace through the halo of her power.

"You will _not_ put yourself in danger for him. Promise me."

"I will keep myself safe, sweetness."

"Swear it, Aidoneus."

"I swear it, my Queen."

Her pink lips smashed against his, devouring him, drowning him. 

Then she floated swiftly away from him, flying backward before she settled to the floor beside Vania and Caernes in their chair. Protectively gentle hands settled on Vanny's arm, and the Queen of the Underworld gave her husband a solemn nod of acceptance and permission. 

Hades turned, feeling his heart trying to claw through his spine as he walked into the hall, toward a grief-maddened Primordial Being rummaging through his kitchen....

* * *

_How did it go so wrong?_

_Why did I let it?_

_Why didn't I...?_

_Of all the things I could have done...? _

_Why did I choose this?_

_They'll never understand._

_They can't. _

_There's no hope._

_Just get a grip, and let the kid live his life. _

Bent over, nearly in half, Erebus stared dispassionately into the fridge. The brightly colored plastic cups of yogurt with their shiny foil tops called to him softly, encouraging in their simple pleasure, promises of a mild respite from the pain and sorrow.

He reached out, grasping one in his long fingers as he straightened back up to his full height. The fridge swung shut, brushing lightly against the robe’s flap at his hip, the cool breeze a sighing caress against his skin beneath.

_You've spent this long without them._

_And they're never coming back._

He slipped open the drawer, nimbly selecting a spoon between his fingertips.

_You don't need to replace them with younger infant beings that can never understand. _

_It's an insult to their memories._

_I can't lose my little ones again._

He sat on the stool at the island, the cup of yogurt and spoon laid gently before him on the marble. He hunched over them as he started gently prying the foil from the top of the cup.

_I deserve this._

_This pain._

_I did this to us all._

_If I had just been strong enough...._

_I would only have lost him._

_I would not have lost them all._

_But I chose._

He didn’t even register the fragrance wafting from the cup of delicately sweetened cream. He mechanically dipped the spoon in and brought a small peak to his lips. 

_I chose wrong...._

* * *

Hades stopped in the kitchen doorway, staring warily at the hunched figure at the kitchen island, spoon full of yogurt passing the pale-white lips. He thought this must be a good sign. Persephone had told him Erebus hadn’t even eaten the yogurt he’d had out when she arrived home five days before.

He was wrong.

The clouds of anger and rage and sheer, clawing panic exploded outward again as Erebus slammed to his feet. The stool crashed over, and the spoon dissolved to ash in the hand clenched against the marble surface of the island.

Erebus was bent over, coughing, gagging, choking, small flakes of grey ash fluttering out on gasping breaths that turned instantly to frost against the marble countertop. The Titan continued retching for another few strangled breaths, and then fell to his knees, forehead held hard against the shining edge of the marble.

Rattling breaths drove in and out of the heaving chest, and Hades could only stare….

For long moments, he stood in the doorway, hardly daring to breathe while the emotional claws of the Void’s King ripped their master apart before his eyes.

Eventually, no telling how long it had been, but eventually, the broken half-sobs quieted, and the trembling shoulders stilled.

The psychic silence was nearly as terrifying as the rending pain and grief….

But Hades knew….

He knew he had no other choice.

He opened his mouth to speak, trusting his heart to lead him to the words he needed….

“Uncle Ere?”

He froze. And so did the King on the floor before him.

_What the fuck? Where did that come from?_

_“I know you’re sad.”_

Hades felt his voice grow soft, gentle, more innocent and pure than it had been in years. He heard himself as he had been two millennia before. A child’s voice spoke from the depths of his long-forgotten memories, and though he knew he was a man long grown, a god crowned and ruling a realm that spanned the centuries:

He let himself be swallowed up by the child he once had been.

_“I know you’re lonely._

_“But you don’t have to be alone.”_

Red eyes in a pale face turned slowly, striving to focus through the haze of loss and grief.

_“You can stay with us. That way you won’t be lost….”_

He took two steps into the kitchen, and then lowered himself to the floor. He was still a long arm’s reach from the violently shivering Titan King, but he knew.

This wasn’t his choice.

It had always been the Other’s.

He heard both of his voices: the boy-child he had been, and the god-King he was today, the sounds overlapping and merging and shifting together as he _reached_ just a little from his soul….

_“I love you, Uncle Ere.”_

Before he could take a breath, long arms were crushing around his torso, and pale white hair was covering his face. He returned the clawing embrace, and held the being as his Uncle Ere fell to pieces in his arms.

Realms away, in his golden sheets in the bright palace of the King of Gods, Zeus woke from a thick nap.

An echoing, howling sob tore through his mind, and he sat bolt upright, not even caring that Hera had been laying across his bare chest, sleeping soundly.

He ignored her claws as she raked them over his ribs in anger at being so rudely woken.

_I know that voice…._

_How do I know that voice…?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your support. These last couple of chapters have been really tough, both in content and the actual writing these highly-active, multi-layered scenes. I give you the hope that things will be less heavy and less trauma-inducing for the next little while. But we are not done yet....
> 
> Once more, comments and kudos and bookmarks are as sweet, dreamy yogurt on my tongue!


	35. Re-emergence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, forgiving yourself for the choices you've made is the hardest part of immortality.

_Day23PA_

_Melarebus,_

_Thank you for today._

_I never knew you had that much courage in you. _

_I'm sorry if I hurt you when I bowled past you on my way up._

_Please tell me if I did. I need to know...._

_I just can't seem to make things work to check in on you. _

_I'm still messed up, I guess._

_But, I don't know...._

_I feel like something stabbed my heart, and now there's light in there._

_I haven't felt like this since...._

_Since I held Aidon for the first time after I...._

_Did what I did._

_I'm also sorry if your throat is sore in the morning. I cried. I did more than cry, I freaking scream-sobbed as your sister called it. _

_So, chances are pretty good you'll be hating me in the morning. _

_I'm sorry. _

_But I'm so grateful to you. _

_I don't have the words...._

_Can you give me three days? I need time to think. But don't feel like you need to not talk to me. _

_I really think I need you to check in on me. Just keep the door closed for three days. But you can knock, if you want._

_I need the space to breathe for a bit. _

_This is really hard. I've never felt so ashamed. I didn't think I would be dealing with that too, on top of the guilt and ...._

_Call it what it is, right? Face my Shadows...._

_The guilt and grief. _

[damp droplets smear the end of the word]

_Holy smoke, I'm a mess. _

_So, yeah. Thanks, <strike>kid. </strike> Arry._

_You're a worthy heir...._

_I never could have done what you did for me. _

_Thank you for holding me together when I was almost torn apart._

_-Erebus...._

_ -Ere_

* * *

_Day24PA_

_Morning, Ere._

_Yeah, my throat's sore. But's it's handle-able. I wasn't hurt when you came out. Promise. King's Honor. _

_I'm glad I could help. I'm glad we could help._

_I'm glad you chose to stay._

_When you're ready, I think I'd like to know more about your little ones. _

_But only when you're ready. _

_I just think it would help you heal if you shared some stories about them. _

_Cause, you know, you can bring them back to life a little bit like that. _

_If we remember the ones we love, they never truly leave us. _

_They just kinda rent some space around our hearts, and we can visit them anytime. _

_And you're old, old man. If you don't write down the stories, who else could? _

_Seriously, I'm actually really curious about all that stuff from those early early days. _

_We could seriously make a splash in the literary community if we could put them all together in a book. _

_But no pressure. _

_Just trying to cheer you up._

_I'll make sure to ask Father if he'll be home for the evening in a couple nights. _

_He won't say it, but I think he wants to spend more time with you. _

_He won't really talk about what went down in the kitchen. You don't have to, either, if you don't want. But I get the feeling you're not the only one whose heart got stabbed by a healing lance of love.... You feel me?_

_So, I mean...._

_You know what? I'll check with you in the mirror before I do that. I wouldn't want to put you in a weird spot if you didn't want to talk to him._

_So, I'll P.S. ya here when I get your answer, cause, yeah. _

_I'm going to find some breakfast._

_Day24PA - P.S._

_In case you don't remember, you said yes. I asked, and your young Aidon will be here on Day 26PA for you guys to talk. _

_Day26PA_

_Okay, Ere. _

_Our throat is still a little sore, but as long as you keep hydrated, it's manageable. Should be better the next time. _

_But other than that, I hope you have a great evening. _

_Wow. This is a little awkward. _

_Love you, man._

_-Arry._

* * *

_Day26PA_

_You're the best, Arry. _

_I did have a good evening. I mean, don't get me wrong. It was tough as nails for a little while. I nearly lost it a couple of times, just...._

_Oooooohhhkaaaaay. _

_Facing it. _

_Cause I'm no coward, dammit. _

_The grief feels like a swirling maelstrom._

_A whirlpool of gravity._

_Inside myself, made up of me, of all the choices and memories and feelings...._

_Everything that I ever wanted, and everything that I ever lost. _

_And like any self-sufficient black hole, there's an atomic center. A singularity. The grain of sand that forms the pearl._

_It's like the closer I try to look at the core of the grief, the more broken I feel, because the force of the maelstrom is all at its strongest. _

_And it's terrifying. I feel like it's killing me. _

_And the worst of it is, I still feel like...._

_I deserve it. _

_I almost want it to tear me to nothing. Because then maybe my debt could be paid._

_But when I stand there, at the center of the storm, and I reach back just a little, I look back over my shoulder...._

_There's little stars._

_And I know them all by name._

_And...._

_I know they forgive me._

_But how do I forgive myself?_

_How can I take what little twinkling comfort they can give, when I can never reach them and hold them in my hands again?_

_Do I deserve the happiness their memories can bring?_

_And the storm grows stronger, and I want to just let it sweep me under. _

_Some strange comfort, that there might be rest if I did...._

_Until I realize there's more twinkling stars than I remembered. There's new ones. _

_And I know their names too. _

_My Aidon._

_His little flower._

_The little sun-bird. _

_And her strong right hand._

_And one Young Majesty, his soul so like mine that my power could not let him pass us by...._

_I think I fought back through the teeth of the storm for you...._

_And if it's not too weird...._

_You're my little ones now, too, I think...._

_Since I'm already gulping back the tears, why not?_

_I'll leave you a gift in King's Advice and History tonight._

_I'm not as tired as I thought I would be. _

_In fact, I might borrow this book you've got right here...._

_What's it called?_

_"His lips to chase...."_

_Oh sweet darkness, that's awful...._

_Never the hell mind._

_Sweet dreams, boy._

_-Ere_

* * *

_Entry 6_

_Their first words_

_I don't really know how I knew their names. I don't actively remember hearing her voice, but I think Gaia must have whispered them to me in those first long days of their lives._

_I do remember that I laughed when they tumbled and chased in the sun, waiting their turn for the flow of energy Gaia and Oranus were nursing them with, one by one. _

_They were so small...._

_This body we share now, it's molded in my shape, but - _

_remember the troubadour's book?_

_Before, I was taller than the shade-tree. I must have been pushing 45 feet all told, but most of the time, those early days in the bright light, I sat on my bony ass and watched them from a closer distance._

_Because they were the size of infants, normal infants. _

_Mortal, god, Titan. _

_All little ones are the same size at the start...._

_Which is weird. _

_Anyway. _

_Rhea was so small, smaller than many of the rest. I remember she stood next to my pale foot while ...._

_Come on, old man...._

_While Kronos and Helios argued about who was next for feeding time. _

_She stood there, and looked up at my toes where they towered over her little pink curls. _

_So I twisted my leg, bringing my toes closer to her. _

_She was half the size of my smallest toe, and I smiled at the wonder on her face._

_She toddled her way along my leg, and I could see her getting tired. But she needed the challenge, I could see it in her hard little eyes. _

_I waited for the little queen to make her way where she wanted to go. _

_She stopped beside my hand where I had it flat against the ground. She craned her head up to look at my face, so far above her, and it was like I saw myself through her eyes, just for a moment. _

_My hair shone in the bright sun like the mist over the river, and my eyes were the red of the earth beneath her feet, their birthing bed. _

_Red as the blood in their veins._

_Yeah. Titan's blood is red, but their children's blood is gold. I still don't know what that's about._

_She held her pudgy little fists out to me, stretching up on her toes, and I felt my breath abandon my soul._

_She commanded me. How could I not obey my little queen?_

_"vvvoooorrrrlllll...."_

_It was the first word any of them ever spoke, and in a language never heard by any soul. Yet the meaning was clear._

_She wanted up._

_I rolled my hand over, and she climbed into my palm. I lifted her to my face, held her tiny body before my eyes, and the smile that lit her face stole my heart so far away I knew I had no hope of ever finding it again. _

_She hugged my thumb, and I was lost...._

_Kronos left his tussle with his bright golden brother, seeing his sister receiving attention just for her. _

_He spoke, too, not to be outdone._

_"vvvoooorrrrlllll sssshhhhiiiiii"_

_It took me months of close listening before I determined he'd meant "up now."_

_I should have known then the arrogance that would define him._

_But I obliged him, too, and their bright laughter lit the world around us with happiness and simple pleasures. _

_The tiny pink queen, and the bone-white King with blood-red eyes...._

_Yeah...._

_He looked like me...._

_I've never forgotten that he looked like me...._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm slowly working my way into some happier, more domestic stuff for a while. I hope y'all enjoy, this should be the last heavy-feeling emotionally-brutal bits for a smidge.
> 
> Once more, all comments, kudos, bookmarks, questions, concerns, insights - every bit of it is as yogurt to my soul!
> 
> And, by the way.... Next chapter.... The truth about the yogurt.............
> 
> Yep. It's time.


	36. An Afternoon with Aidon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Otherwise known as 
> 
> It's my birthday and I'll weird if I want to,  
Cry if I want to,  
Write if I want to!

_Day27PA_

_Morning, Ere. _

_I'm glad to hear you had an okay time with my father. I won't pry. But I'll ask you if you want to have another evening with him. I'll let you know what you say._

_Thank you for Entry 6. I will admit that I had a feeling there was more to Kronos' self that you were holding back when you told us about Oranus' sacrifice. But I wasn't going to reopen those wounds, too. _

_I am glad you are processing through some of them though, and thank you for trusting me with your pain. _

_I can't imagine what it would feel like to see the son of your heart, your mirrored self, turn so far from everything you'd dreamed for him to be and do. _

_That's probably the worst of all of this.... And the lore that's been disseminated over the last 2000 years since the Titanomachy will make it really hard for anybody outside of our family to even consider that ANYONE could have loved Kronos just for who he was, who he'd been...._

_But we're with you, Ere. We believe you're telling truths, even if they're broken and terrible in their darkness. _

_So, yeah. I'm sorry you're still hurting, but I'm here for ya, however you need me. _

_Even if it's just as an invisible voice in your head that leaves you notes when you wake up...._

_How the tables have turned...._

_27P.S._

_You said yes again. I'm glad. _

_My father will be here again on the 29th, he said he'll come home from work around 3.... That'll give you guys a few hours alone before mom gets home. She said she'll bring pizza again. _

_29PA_

_So, it's just a bit before 3. I'm about to open the door for ya. _

_But I wanted to leave you a bit of a surprise first. _

_Mom suggested I teach you how to use a phone. That way, you can call her and let her know what you want on your pizza. _

_So, here's the instructions:_

_The screen's already on. I turned off the auto-lock. All you have to do is push the little green button on the bottom left of the screen. That will pull up the phone function. Mom's number will say "Mom".... All you have to do is touch her name, and then hold the phone up to your ear. She's expecting your call, so just hang on while it rings through and she'll answer it. _

_That's it! When you're done talking to her, look at the screen again, and push the red button. That will end the call. _

_Just leave the phone on the desk, cause I don't wanna confuse you with locking the screen or anything else. Just put the phone down when you're done. _

_Welcome to the modern era, old man. Good luck, and have a good time!_

_-Arry_

* * *

Erebus looked from the note to the glowing screen eyeing him from the desktop. He squinted his eyes at the paper in his hand; then he laid it gently in the wire tray on the upper right corner. He grabbed a fresh piece from the stack on the left, and the mahogany fountain pen from the ebony stand.

_Kid, you're scaring the fresh hell outta me. _

_I got by for five loooooong millenniums without a phone. _

_Modern, my ass._

_What's wrong with just enjoying a surprise dinner?!_

_Fine. Cause it would hurt the little flower's feelings if I didn't try this, wouldn't it?_

_Shit. Okay. Here I go...._

He slid the phone across the desk with one hand, careful not to touch the glowing glass. Once it reached the edge, he placed his other hand under the lip of the desktop, and pushed the phone off into his waiting palm. Only then did he raise it closer to his face, squinting again as the vision in his left eye flickered a bit in the bright light. 

"Damned vicious bird."

He blinked a little, trying to clear the flickering lines and blurry spots as he located the green button on the bottom left of the screen. The button expanded, turning white, and there was a list of names. 

"Mom. Dad. Vanny. Caer. Noree. Lukee."

Each name had a tiny subtitle beneath it, with dates indicating the "most recent call."

"Wow. That's creepy. It's like it's remembering everything you do, kid.

"Okay. Just touch Mom's name, then hold the phone up to your ear, right? Sounds simple enough."

Bringing one long pale finger over the screen, Erebus tapped the line that said "Mom: _last call yesterday 09:12am_" and then jerked the phone to his ear, cupping his free hand under the other in case he dropped the phone. 

He heard a hollow fluttering tone.

"Whoa. Is that the ring? It's such a cool sound!"

Then he heard a click, a couple small thuds and shifting sliding sounds. 

"Ere, that you?"

"WOW! It's like you're right beside me!"

Her bright laughter rang out, and though he winced at the level of the volume, he squeezed the phone tighter against his ear.

"That _is_ how it's supposed to work, you know! So, what do you think you want on your pizza tonight?"

"I don't know.... I really liked the olives, but the pepperoni was a little odd. What other options are there? I don't know what to pick...."

"Well, I don't eat a lot of meat. Hades usually gets beef if he's not in the mood for pepperoni. Oh, he's tried a barbecue chicken pizza before from that restaurant, seemed to like it...."

"What's chicken?"

"Come again?!"

"What's chicken?"

"No, I heard you! I can't believe you don't know what chicken is!"

"It's an animal?"

"Yeah, a bird. A fat bird that lays eggs even if they're not fertilized, they make funny clucking noises, and they've been grown through the years to have a lot of meat on their bodies. They're a food animal, as it's called."

"Ummm.... Show me a picture tonight? But sure, I mean, I'll try anything once, I guess!"

"Okay, barbecue chicken pizza it is!"

"I'm looking forward to it."

"Okay, I've got a call on the office phone. I've gotta let you go. Good job with the phone, and I'll see you later!"

"Okay."

"Bye!"

"Bye...."

Erebus felt a little twinge in his heart as he pulled the phone from his ear, placed it back on the desk, and pushed the little red button. The screen collapsed into the red button, and he was left staring at the list of recent calls again. "Mom: _last call today 03:06pm"_

He picked up the pen in a slightly shaking grip. 

_Kid, that was a great experience. _

_Thanks._

_I'm gonna go find your dad. I'll try to leave you another gift in King's Advice tonight, but no promises. I have a feeling I might be wrung out...._

_We'll see. _

_Either way, we're having barbecue chicken pizza. I don't know what the hell a chicken actually is, your mom tried to explain it, but it just sounds like fever dreams to me. _

_Whatever. We'll see how the imaginary fat promiscuous birds taste, I guess._

_Can I say this?_

_Love you, Arry._

_-Ere_

Leaving the pen angled across the bottom of the page and the phone on the desktop, Erebus rose from the chair and opened the bedroom door. He heard the slight creak of the hinges as he let his power pull it gently shut behind him, tucking his hands around his ribs in a tight self-embrace as he walked down the hall. 

_Time to go visit with my little Aidon._

_Sweet Darkness, help me tell him what I want to tell him without breaking down...._

* * *

Hades floated on his back in the pool, thinking....

He'd come in from the garage, half-expecting to see Erebus sitting at the kitchen island with a sad smile and a cup of yogurt on the marble in front of him like he had earlier in the week. But when he came through the door, he had been shocked and pleasantly surprised to hear a shout of :"WOW!" coming from his son's room. 

_I can't believe he actually did it. _

_dammit._

_Persephone, you minx. _

_You win the bet, I'll pay up._

_I just wonder what your price is gonna be...._

His keys jingled into the crystal bowl with the others, and he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Grinning like a fox, he pulled it out and unlocked the screen.

TEXT MESSAGE RECEIVED: 

FROM SWEETNESS:

_I win. _

_Glasses, tie, those silk slacks. Nothing else. By 9p.m. tonight. I don't care what excuses you have to make. You will leave Ere and me alone and be in the room, dressed as I command, by 9p.m._

_And by nothing else, I mean nothing. Glasses, tie, those silk slacks._

_No underwear, my King...._

"Fuuuuuckkkk...."

He closed the screen and made his way to the pool room. He left his suit jacket and briefcase and phone on the bench outside the glass wall before he stepped through into the dressing room, loosening his tie as he went. 

_Just a quick dip to calm down. Can't go spend an afternoon trying to talk to my Uncle Ere with a freaking...._

_Or is he more like a grandpa?_

_Now that's a singularly terrifying thought. Definitely not sitting with a grandfather figure for three hours or more with a hard on. _

_yep. swimming. _

_better than a cold shower...._

He slipped on his swimshorts, catching a glimpse of his body in the mirror on the wall as he turned to go. 

He still wasn't entirely comfortable admiring his body, but after more than a quarter-century of confident love and affection from his little goddess, he sometimes thought he could see himself as she did. 

But thinking of her wasn't helping him leash the fiery lust that was still churning through his body from losing that awful bet....

_I should know better by now. She never calls a bet if she's not damned sure she'll win. She can't hardly bluff to save her life. _

He flung open the door and took three long steps before he dove smoothly into the pool, cutting through the water like the blade of a spear....

He floated on his back, eyes closed, and felt the flaming lust fade to a calmer warmth of pure affection and love. 

_That's more like it. What time is it?_

He cracked one eye open, fluttering his hands in the water to angle himself toward the digital clock high on the wall to one side of the pool so he wouldn't have to turn his head. 

3:15

He heaved a sigh, feeling the water coast over his ribs and stomach as he created tides with the motion. Turning onto his stomach and bending in half, he stroked powerfully to the bottom of the pool, more than twice his height beneath the surface, and he angled himself to coast with his belly to the stone beneath for a few pounding heartbeats. With a single heaving wrench, he tucked his feet under him, crouched against the rough surface, and shot upward, an arrow from a massive spitfire....

Crashing through the water's surface, he opened his mouth for a deep breath of the misty-cool air, and opened his eyes as he felt his body lowering back into the warm embrace of the pool.

Red eyes stared back at him from against the dark wall of glass against the hallway.

"SHIT!"

His head went under, and he spluttered. Flailing his arms and kicking madly, he coughed and floundered his way back to the shallower end, until he cracked his heel on the pool's bottom in his flight. 

Thrashing to his feet, he stood, dripping hair leaving water coursing down his torso in cold lines of gentle tickles, gasping and heaving for breath.

"You're too quiet, Ere. Scared the fuck outta me!"

"I'm sorry."

The hollow sound was back in the quiet voice, and the eyes were wide as they moved slowly over Hades' body. 

Hades realized this was the first time Erebus had seen so much of him, his scars glowing faintly in the softly shifting lights of his pool's ambience. 

"Ere, it's okay. They don't hurt anymore."

"I never knew...."

"We all have scars, Erebus."

"But he.... How many of those are his...?"

Hades didn't have to ask. He clenched his eyes, feeling his throat lock up with the fear.

"Most."

Hades rocked a little as the wave of anger and pain pushed outward; he opened his eyes, a little shocked to see there were actual ripples spreading from the epicenter of the psychic explosion, fanning over the water from where Erebus stood back from the pool's edge. 

"I'm so sorry...."

Hades took in a breath, striving for composed wisdom. "We can never be who we are without our pasts, right?"

The red eyes softened, and a small smile lifted the pale lips. "Thank you for reminding me, Aidon."

Hades smiled back, wider than Erebus had as he got an idea.

"Hey, why don't you join me for a few laps? Be good to stretch them long legs, ya think?"

He wasn't prepared for the sudden shame and embarrassment that stole over the other's face. The hands went under the armpits, and claws raked across the lean ribcage.

"Ere? I taught Arry to swim. The body will remember.... What's the matter?"

"....I don't think you're ready to know this...."

"Okay, but now I'm too curious not to know."

"Dammit...."

Striving for an innocently mischievous wheedling tone, Hades pushed just a little harder. 

"Come on, Uncle Ere. What don't I know?"

The laugh that huffed out of the Titan was bleak. Instead of answering, he pulled one hand from under his arm and clawed the hair away from one ear, turning his head so Hades could see it clearly in profile. 

The ear was pointed.

Arry's ears were rounded, like Persephone's.

He embraced the building protective anger like a lover. "What are you doing to my son?" He didn't look down, but he knew the blackness of Oranus' galaxies was taking over his skin, spreading out from the space over his heart.

"The more we share, the more he lets me out, the more this body responds to the feel of my power and my Self. Everything goes back to normal when I go to sleep at night. Arry's body is back to the one you know and love in the morning when he wakes. But these last few times, the body, when I'm here, when I'm awake, is closer to the one I lost before."

The hand moved away from the pointed ear, tucking back along the ribs in a tight gesture of control.

Hades knew the being spoke the truth. The Judge could not condone vengeance and retaliation where none was needed. He released the breath he'd been holding in with a rumbling growl of a sigh as he relaxed in the knowledge that his son was okay after all. 

"Okay, so, you've got weird ears. That doesn't explain not wanting to swim with me for a bit...."

"My body was never like my little ones'. Or yours. Or any other beings'."

"I still don't get it. More specific?"

Erebus took in a small breath, and huffed it out in irritation.

"I'm not built like you."

Hades just waited. 

"Down there...."

Hades felt his eyes go wide, and he couldn't stop them from locking on the Titan's hips. 

He gulped a couple of times before he could find his voice.

"How so?" He didn't trust himself to try for more words.

The hollow words dropped like stone. "There's nothing there."

Hades' head felt filled with swirling colors. "That's impossible. You eat, you drink. I've seen you! Everyone has something down there!"

"Not a Primordial Titan. Gaia and Oranus, their bodies.... They didn't exist in a form like ours. But mine did. Mine was the first to look like this. Legs. Arms. Head on a skinny neck." Hades chuckled with him at the imagery. "Gaia and Oranus made their children by combining their energies. They, ummm, they didn't have sex like you think of it. They didn't have the parts."

Hades blushed. He couldn't stop it.

But it seemed like Erebus couldn't stop talking now. He kept on, no matter the blush that darkened against Hades' skin with every word.

"They didn't have the parts, and neither do I. There's nothing down there, because everything I eat and drink gets used up. The power that is mine needs a lot of energy. Everything I take in is consumed, to the last atom. So there's no need for any extra parts. So, no. I really don't think I'm going to swim with you, young Aidon. I never did before I don't see why that should change now."

Erebus turned his head away, and Hades felt the drift of ancient memories trying to reach him. He pushed them down, intending to look at them later when things weren't so raw. 

"Alright. I'm sorry. Thanks for telling me, even though you were right. I really didn't want to know that. But you promise that Arry's body is fine?"

"Yes, Aidon. When he wakes up in the morning, he'll have all the parts he was born with. He eats and shits, and drinks and pisses."

There was a bitterness in the tone, and Hades realized it was envy.

"You wish you could do that, too?"

"Yes, and no. If I did, I'd no doubt tire of the novelty after a while. But it's hard to look at my _lack_ when the body I share has so much potential when it's not mine."

The hollow bleakness was back. 

"Well, no one ever said adopted kids aren't real kids."

The faint hope in the red eyes as they looked back at him through curtains of pale hair was heart-wrenching. 

"Thanks, my little one."

Erebus turned, passing through the glass wall in a flicker of smoke and silver-edged black flames, heading for the den. Hades clambered out of the pool, cold now that he was half-dry, and went into the dressing room.

"I was not expecting that today...."

* * *

_I was not expecting to have THAT talk today!_

Erebus flopped into the large black armchair, letting one arm fall over his eyes in angsty depression. 

_Well, at least I'm being honest with myself. With him. And at least he didn't get so fired up he tried to kill me again. Heh. He's fiesty...._

_I miss my feisty...._

_Oh, my little one...._

_My arrogant little King...._

He let the tide of emotion and grief sweep him away for a few moments; the tears burned as they squeezed past his lashes, coursing down the angles and planes of his cheekbones and soaking through the smoky not-fabric of the sleeve of his robe. 

"Yogurt for your thoughts?"

Erebus felt his soul claw its way from the dregs of his despair to focus on the quiet voice. He lifted his arm from his face and opened his eyes, feeling mild surprise at the sight of a large blue hand holding a cup of vanilla yogurt gently extended toward his chest where he lay sprawled in the large chair. He chuckled softly as he struggled up from melancholy to the mild affection of his little blue Aidon.

"Thanks, little one."

He reached for the cup, making sure the spoon was secure where Hades held it tucked against the curve of the plastic cup as he did. He shifted his hips in the chair, scootching until he could tuck one long leg over the other, leaning back into the supple support of the curving cushion behind him. He flicked a smirk at Aidon, and then realized the blue god held another cup of yogurt and a spoon in one hand as he settled onto the near side of the couch. His eyes went wide as blue fingers started easing the edges of the foil from the top of the plastic cup.

"You're joining me, little Aidon?"

A wry smile twisted Hades' lips. "Well, you seem so adamant that it's something precious. I thought I should give it a fair trial...."

Erebus felt his heart twist in his chest, the slow, steady thrum stuttering at the words. "By all means, you first." He didn't even care that his voice was husky and low as his throat grew tight. 

* * *

Hades looked at him with concern as the foil finally peeled from the rim of the cup, revealing the pale white confection within. Hades wasn't sure why this was affecting the Titan so, but he had made up his mind the night before. It was somehow important. He would give this an honest try. 

For his Uncle Ere.

He dipped the spoon in, eyeing the way the thick cream clung like a wax pomade to the silver surface. He brought it to his lips, inhaling gently through his nose to take in the scent. It was mild, soft, pleasant in a homely sort of way.

He took a confident bite, the aroma shifting to a burst of flavor as the cream collapsed to his tongue. 

Swallowing, he looked directly at the red eyes pooling with tears. "I'll admit, it's pleasant. But I don't see how it could be so precious that you're crying...." He made his voice as gentle as soothing as possible, not pushing, but encouraging the Titan to reveal the pain at the heart of his obsession. 

"You really don't know...."

Hades just waited. 

"I promised myself I would tell you today. I thought maybe you were remembering. You brought the yogurt in here, for reality's sake!

"But you don't remember....

"Helios was one of the first to decide how he wanted to use his gifts. My little golden one knew he wanted to bring light to the compass of Gaia's self. He molded himself to the task. At first, he only made short journeys, north, south, east, west, for no more than a few hours at a time as he grew stronger. 

"When he was ready, he asked me to go with him. 

"We traveled the entire length of bright Gaia's mighty self, moving westward from my little ones' nursery valley. I walked behind him, supporting him in his endeavor as he strove to accomplish his goal. I watched him shine more brightly with every flowing stride, and I knew he'd succeed. 

"He'd grown up. 

"They'd all been growing, but he was the first to really become grown, you know what I mean?"

Hades nodded, keeping silent, knowing there was more. 

"We crested the mountains in the east of the nursery valley, and she was there, waiting for us. Her pink hair and bright eyes sparkled with happiness, and her smile made mighty Oranus' weep for joy. A light rain began to fall as Helios grew dim, tired from his efforts....

"Rhea walked to him, handing him something small in the palm of her hand. I hung back, letting him savor his success, so I couldn't see what it was. 

"A new animal caught my eye. Rhea was always taming animals from different regions of Gaia's Self, and this one was different enough to stand out. 

"Four knobby legs. Large doe eyes. Two small horns. And a long-limbed infant that bawled alongside the bony ribcage. 

"Rhea finally came walking up to me. She opened her cupped hands, and I saw the large green leaf she held cradled within. There was a mound of thickened _something_ there, with dribbles of honey shining in Helios' fading light. 

"She told me to try it.

"She was always experimenting with the things Gaia provided for their sustenance. I thought this would be no different. 

"But there was magic in that first taste of what she gifted to the mortals as yogurt. Magic. Caring.

"Love.

"It is precious, Aidon. It's almost all I have left of her."

With that, Erebus stood, yogurt cradled to his chest as he moved silently from the den. Hades felt the tears streaking his own cheeks as the memories finally broke through the walls he never knew he'd built. 

_Rhea's large pink fingers scooping through the mounds of heavy cream in the hollowed-out surface of a large marble boulder in the forest, mixing in golden streams of glistening honey. _

_The bawling of cows and calves in secluded valleys in the near distance. _

_The taste of sweetened cream on his tongue in the twilight hours as he yawned hugely...._

He took another bite, and felt warmth bloom in his chest as the cool dollop melted down his throat. 

And then he launched to his feet, careening down the hall for where he'd left his phone outside the pool room. He smashed a finger on Persephone's contact button. 

"Hades, how's things going with Ere? Did you get my message earlier?" Her tone went breathy, but he didn't even register it.

"Persephone, fine, and yes. But I need you to pick up some plain yogurt and fresh honey on the way home. Please, sweetness."

"Okay, why?" Her curiosity had the warmth in his chest flaring brighter in the dim hallway.

"It's for Ere. I'll tell you later."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Weird nonsex neuter primordial beings aside,
> 
> What did y'all think of my hobbit birthday present for y'all?
> 
> Comments kudos and bookmarks are yogurt to my soul!


	37. Reflections of Truths and Webs of Lies

She wrapped her arms around her torso, panting in the darkness. 

_Not again...._

Squeezing tighter against her ribs, she clenched her teeth, trying to stem the wail she felt rising in her throat. She knew if she started screaming, she wouldn't stop for hours. 

_I can't take this...._

_I can't...._

Desperate for release, she threw herself from her bed. She staggered across the room, mist blinding her vision.

Or was it tears?

She snatched the door open, not caring that the hinges ripped from the frame and the door tilted precariously away from its normal position, coming to a rest against the wardrobe behind it. She thundered down the stairs, finally seeing her goal. 

The large bird cage gleamed silver in the moonlight streaming through the lacy curtains behind it in her living room. 

Feeling the tightening in her throat, she gulped back the sobs that felt powerful enough to wake the dead. 

Except, weren't they already awake...?

She broke the latch on the wire door in her distress, but the large silver and black owl within merely opened dimly-gleaming eyes, patience and calm radiating out from the bird. 

She held out her trembling wrist, and her companion stepped onto her arm, talons gentle despite their strength. 

She let the first sobbing breath steal past her lips as she sank to the floor, cradling the bird to her chest. She stroked her free hand over its body, front, back, head, everywhere she could reach. 

The bright eyes closed, and she let her lids slide lower, too, turning her head to prevent the salty tears from dripping onto the bird's warm feathers. 

Slowly, the bird's regular breathing and slowly beating drum of a heartbeat calmed her, grounded her. She eventually opened her eyes, looking down at her knee without conscious thought as she continued to stroke the bird's downy feathers.

A timeless while later, she began to watch her light-grey hand as it stroked over the feathers. She tilted her head as she passed her fingers over the bird's fluffed up chest ruff, smoothing the silver plumes with their thin black lines. 

Completing the caress, she examined the spider-web pattern the needle-thin black streaks made against the silver sheen of the bird's gently moving chest. 

Her voice was nearly silent, but the bird's eyes turned slowly to her face. She felt herself falling into the open pools of those moon-bright orbs. 

"Oh, Arania, what am I going to do?"

A gentle _whoooff_ answered her as a swirling blackness coiled in the depths of those bright, bright eyes. 

"No. I can't. It never works."

The bird cooed, and Athena felt the spark in her mind flicker to life. She considered resisting, but relented instead. Arania would not be denied. 

She saw an image of a shadowy form, more than 40 feet tall, a form made of shadows under bright sunlight, a silhouette amidst the falling dust of a battlefield. 

The image clarified, the lines becoming sharper. 

She felt her gaze drawn down, toward the ground at the shadow's base.

The shadows condensed, swirling down and in, a maelstrom of power pooling in upon itself.

When the writhing shadows ceased their mighty dance, a bone-pale figure, swathed in smoky-black dust that formed a skin-tight tunic and flaring skirts, opened rust-red eyes, staring straight into her own.

She knew she should be scared witless, but Arania's control over her mind prevented her self's instinctive response. Instead, she felt a pull, a push: a tide, calling, beckoning. 

Opening a door inside her she hadn't known was closed.

She stood, the bird swaying gently on her arm; she still stared straight into the owl's bright eyes, but she moved unerringly toward the mirror of the window across the room from the silver bird cage. The moon was behind her now, and the window she faced reflected her body perfectly, a black void surrounding her gently-backlit form. 

She felt Arania deepen their connection. She still saw the moon-pale figure, taller than she but diminutive compared to the Titan she'd helped to kill two millennia before, behind her eyes, still felt that gentle call. 

The summons of a King. 

A promise unfulfilled. 

She felt Arania focus her attention on the reflection of herself in the mirror of her night-dark window. 

She watched, calmly, as it seemed like her heather-grey silk pajamas faded, leaving her bare in her mind's eye. Her skin, grey as it had been since her first conscious thought more than 2000 years ago, seemed to glow from within her Self. 

She watched the thin lines spread across her bony, flat chest. 

Bright lines, like silver threads, marking her....

A spider-web of spiny lines, shielding her....

Even from herself.

She came to herself some time later. She wasn't sure how long, but she was still stroking the now-dozing owl. She was wearing her pajamas, and she was on her couch, slumped against the thick cushions as if she'd been sleeping. 

Oddly, she wasn't scared. 

Her heart beat slowly, more slowly than usual, but it was also gradually increasing in tempo as she came farther out from under her protector's influence. 

She straightened a little, lifting her arm where Arania still rested so as not to jostle the owl too badly. 

She felt like she'd been given a key. She had the strangest feeling that if she turned the key, she'd find something she'd lost. 

But as her heart rate picked up, she grew more wary....

_I can't. Not tonight, at least._

_I have enough to deal with. _

_Why is there a silver web embedded in my chest...?_

_What do I not remember....?_

_...._

_And what does it all have to do with the Being I helped destroy...?_

She felt sleep stealing over her, and she let herself relax into the gentle embrace of dreamless rest. 

The last thing she felt before she succumbed was a gentle insistence, a hint of a push, accompanied by a whisper of a word....

__

_Arachne...._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooh, what have we here?
> 
> Mysteries and secrets....
> 
> Hmmmmm..............
> 
> I think this calls for yogurt - I mean, comments....
> 
> Looking forward to all of your thoughts!


	38. Bet on It....

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter includes more innocent and clean plot development and fluff at the front. Then it switches to more NSFW content. Please read according to your desires....
> 
> TiniestMug, this is for you!

Erebus left the den, yogurt cradled to his chest, with the weight of the words he'd uttered pounding behind his hands. In his heart.

_It's almost all I have left of her._

He made his way to the kitchen, sinking onto his stool at the island. He placed the yogurt on the marble before him, though he still held the spoon. He twirled it between his fingers, watching the silver catch winking lights from the cans in the ceiling overhead as he waited for the pain.

Waited for the pain....

_Why isn't it hurting...?_

_What AM I feeling?_

_There's a quietness...._

_A gentle softness...._

_Huh. _

_Guess you were right, kid. _

_Maybe sharing is helping...._

_It doesn't hurt. _

_Not as bad. There's a little pain there, the farther I get from the moment. _

_But, it's not nearly as bad as I thought it would be, as much as I was bracing for it. _

_That's almost a fucking let-down!_

_I was all ready to be all strong and brave today, and here I go, being all soft and serene for no damn reason!_

_Well, that's not fair...._

_No. It's better this way._

_I'd like to keep it this way...._

_I've paid enough, haven't I?_

_Yeah...._

In his mind, he could almost see the grief-storm, the black hole he'd described for Arry earlier. He still stood, close to the center, feeling the pulsing heat and cold of the pain at the heart of his grief, but he wasn't staring straight into that dark abyss. He was looking out, toward the little stars, while the claws and crashing waves of the maelstrom ripped past him, around him, through him where he stood in the silence.

One little twinkle, almost magenta, flashed against the backdrop of misty expansive space. 

His heart thumped in response, and he felt the tingle of remembered love....

_I miss you, my little queen._

_But I thank you for your gift...._

_I shared it with your son...._

_Your first boy...._

_I should have remembered sooner, my little one. _

_You told me gifts are meant to be shared...._

He heard footsteps making their way down the hall from the pool toward the intersection that would lead to the kitchen.

_Why was he back at the pool?_

"In the kitchen, Aidon." He spoke rather than shouted, but he knew his voice would carry.

"I figured."

The white-haired blue head peeked around the door frame, seeming wary and unsure.

"You alright, Ere?"

He let a soft smile light his face, feeling the shimmer of the tears in his eyes that still refused to swell further and fall.

"Yeah. Just remembering a few things...."

His young Aidon seemed relieved, moving all the way around the corner to lean against the wall with his arms crossed, the picture of confident strength and compassion. 

"So, I thought, since you are stepping into the modern age with phone calls now, you might be willing to learn what movies and TV are...."

Ere just blinked.

"Am I supposed to understand those two words...?"

"Come with me." The blue King spun on his heel, unfolding his arms to trail one hand along the wall as he turned into the hall. 

Ere grabbed up his yogurt from the island and rocked into motion, rushing to catch up to the figure disappearing through a doorway across from the den....

He felt a flicker from Arry as he entered the room.

Excitement. Anticipation. Eagerness.

_I've never come in this room though. All these evenings, and I've never really explored.... This room is weird...._

Huge squashy chairs and what looked like lumpy leathery bags of _something_ were scattered over the floor. The floor was actually covered in thick plushy carpet, one of the only rooms he'd seen with wall-to-wall covering on the floor. Most of the other rooms he'd been in were either bare floor or carefully accented with rugs. 

He wiggled his toes in the softness, feeling a surge of sensation and warmth and pleasure.

_"Wow...._"

He didn't realize he'd spoken aloud until he heard a low chuckle. He snatched his eyes up from the floor, a wide grin on his face as he spotted Hades' white hair peeking over the back of a deep black leather chair. 

"Don't just stand there, get in here! Get your bony butt in a cushion somewhere!"

"As you wish."

He stepped through the Void's edge, emerging instantly to flop gracelessly onto the chair to the right of Hades' own. He burst out laughing, his head flinging backward, as Hades jumped, startled at the suddenness and giant floooomphing noise of the large body settling into the deep seat. 

Finally rocking his head back down to look at Hades, Erebus noticed the thin black box cradled delicately in the blue hand. Small white and blue and red circles and squares covered the top of the thin box, and Hades' fingers moved gently over them, brushing back and forth, occasionally pressing down on one with a deliberate movement. 

Then he noticed the flickering light from the corner of his right eye. He turned to face it, and the wall before him was shifting, images and written words blinking faster than he could follow as the bright colors captured his attention. 

His left eye burned, vision fading as grey smudges and vertical lines of blankness overwhelmed the damaged organ.

He closed his eyes, squinting at the dull flickers of pain and sharp edges of discomfort.

He felt Aidon look at him, felt the confused concern brush against his aura. 

He gave a huffing laugh.

"My eye. Damned bird. There's too much light and movement on that wall, I think...."

"Oh, well, hang on then. Let me see if I can find something easy on the eyes for us. Keep your eyes closed, hang on."

The gentle voice sounded a little unnerved, but the godling's composure was commendable as the lights continued shifting and blinking behind Erebus' lowered lids. 

"Okay, give this a try, Ere."

He slowly blinked his eyes open, and looked back at the wall.

"Ohhhhh my...."

A view of a sunlit valley, spring wildflowers and poofy clouds dancing in simple happiness at the joy of life. Specks of white in the middle distance, specks that moved independent of the breeze. 

"SHEEP! There's sheep over there!"

Hades cackled as Erebus stared raptly at the wall. 

"What magic is this?! Can we go there? How do we.... But it's a wall?! What is this wondrous thing, Aidon?!!"

"A television. It's not a wall, it's just mounted on the wall. It's a piece of technology, like the phone earlier. The screen on the phone and the screen on the television both show you images based on pre-programmed commands."

"Wow...." He felt wonder steal his words as he continued to stare the ... screen. The scene shifted, and Erebus felt the breath in him trickle past his lips as the brilliant blue of an ocean's rippling surface covered nearly the entire space before him. There was only the palest hint of a lighter blue sky toward the top of the image, a delicately painted-on milky line denoting the horizon between the two planes....

"You ready for the last part of the experience?"

"There's MORE?!"

"Yep. Here ya go...."

Sound filled the room. Piercing cries of gulls. Low rushing of eons of salty water. A whisper of a breeze....

"Oh, little Aidon.... I.... I don't have the words...."

"Glad you like it.... How's your eye?"

"It's calmer, but don't speed things up. I.... I could drown in this.... I haven't... felt... like this.... I don't remember when...."

A comforting silence settled between them as the sounds of a magical beach filled the room, as the images on the wall swallowed his attention whole....

* * *

Erebus was utterly entranced. He knew he'd been sitting, staring at the screen for hours. He had barely managed to toss a fleeting call of "Hello, little flower!" over his shoulder when the garage door opened across the house. Hades had patted his shoulder, muttering gently about going to help his wife unload, and Erebus had nodded vaguely as the blue god left the room. 

The scenes before him continued to show him wonders he'd never dreamed of. Wonders of the mortal realm, of mighty Olympus' vast expanses, and drowningly breathtaking views of wide swathes of star-sprinkled night skies. There were even a few moments of dark beauty when bleak valleys with glowing mushrooms dotting the hillsides took their turns before his wondering eyes: he recognized those from years of incorporeal _watching_ from the Void's embrace.

He felt his heart swell as he realized this marvelous device was showing him the beauty of the cosmos, including places he could never, would never go, because it wouldn't be safe or comfortable for him to venture there.

He let himself sink into the embrace of the heartbeat at the peace that filled him, seeing the beauty and majesty of his family's Selves.

Bright Gaia....

Mighty Oranus.... 

Dark Soulscape....

_How I've needed this...._

He heard, dimly, thumping feet coming back into the room. He saw the blue hand pick up the thin box with small shapes on its flat surface, heard the quiet voice.

"Erebus, dinner's ready. I'm turning this off...."

The screen went black, and Erebus blinked rapidly as his vision dimmed.

He felt a flash of irritation before he could rein it back in.

"Damn.... That was.... I'm sorry for lashing out."

"It's alright. I understand. It sure is something, isn't it?"

"Yes. I thank you, deeply, my Aidon. You said something?"

"Dinner's ready."

"OH!" He looked down at the empty yogurt cup in his hand, wondering when he'd actually eaten it. "Great! I'm starving!"

He threw himself to his feet, swaying as the his body tried to adjust from the hours of nonmovement. One blue hand grasped his arm above the elbow, holding him steady until he nodded that he was fine. 

"I guess all things in moderation should apply to that wonderful device, too!"

Low chuckles met that observation, and he followed his little Aidon from the television room with its thick plushy carpet and wall of wonders. 

Tangy sweet scents met his appreciative nose as they made it into the kitchen. The pizza was already broken up into pieces on three plates, and Persephone stood at the fridge, straightening up from behind the door. She spotted the two beings coming through the kitchen door, and a heavy blush darkened her cheeks and the planes of her neck as she jumped back and slammed the door shut on the fridge.

"What did I do this time, little flower?!"

"WHAT?!? OH, NOTHING! You two just startled me! I didn't hear you coming down the hall!"

"Oh, good. I thought I made an inadvertent flirt again...."

"NO! We're good!"

"Good." He passed her stiff pink form, making for his usual seat. 

He felt the wordless interplay behind him as Persephone and Hades gestured at each other in a soundless argument. 

"You two are joining me, aren't you? Or do you need to finish your secret argument first?

They froze as he turned to shoot a smug smirk at them through a curtain of pale hair. The blush deepened on both their faces.

_I got ya, kids...._

"Or you could just tell me the surprise...."

They scrambled to chairs, and he chuckled darkly. 

"All things in time, I suppose...."

The three of them began eating, and Erebus forgot to be suspicious of their secretive behavior as the tangy sweetness and savory saltiness melted into his mouth.

"oooooooooohhhhhhh, sweet darkness......"

He lost himself in the sensations as the moon rose slowly outside the mansion. 

* * *

Erebus and Persephone were in the den, a puzzle spread in batches and small piles on the coffee table between them. She was perched on the edge of a straight-backed chair pulled up close to the table, peering intently at the colors and shapes that defied her understanding. 

"I can't figure it out. It doesn't matter how many times I do this puzzle, I always forget the key bits before I start it the next time!"

Erebus chuckled, his eyes gleaming brilliantly as he focused on the pieces. "It would hardly be an enjoyable mental challenge if you could remember the solution...."

"So, you like puzzles?"

"Oh yes. Though my experience with them has been theoretical until today. Seeing other people do them, watching you and Aidon work on them from behind Arry's eyes. But I am enjoying myself." He spoke quietly, pensive as he reached for a piece, the tiny shape dwarfed between his pale fingertips. "I used to amuse myself in the long nights of watching over my little ones with, ummmm, I believe some philosophers call them thought experiments.... I also like riddles."

"Yeah?"

"Mmmmhmmmm."

They continued working on the puzzle, and under the gentle encouragement of pink and pale fingers, the image began to come together in segments of bright colors. 

After about 15 minutes, Persephone leaned back, stretching her arms behind her head and arching back. Her eyes found the clock on a desk across the room. 

8:37.

_Ooooooooh, he better hurry up. How long does it take to prep a bowl of yogurt!?!_

Almost as if her thought summoned him, she heard soft footsteps. She leaned back over the puzzle, playing the part of ignorant friend to the oblivious Titan before her....

"Erebus...?" Hades' voice was low, husky. Persephone knew how much this was meaning to him. She'd barely been able to get Erebus out of the kitchen after they finished their pizza before the tears began welling in Hades' eyes. The whispered conversation he'd had with her the minute she got home had swelled her heart; the memories the afternoon had stirred in her husband had left him overly sentimental. 

She knew she'd have to be careful with her redemption of her prize later, but that was okay. 

She knew all his buttons.... All his sweet spots....

And she was gonna enjoy them all.

Later. 

Erebus lifted his head from where he bent over the puzzle, and Persephone kept her eyes down. She gave her two Kings their time....

* * *

Hades stared into those red eyes, and he felt the tears welling in his black ones again. He gulped them down as Erebus tilted his head, pale hair swinging over one eye in concern for the blue King's obvious distress.

"I...."

"Aidon, what's the matter?" Erebus straightened as much as he could, leaning back on his hips with one hand flat to the floor beneath him. His knees were bent, his body angled along the line of the coffee table, the flaps of his robe layered modestly over the front of his hips. 

Hades gulped again.

"I made you something."

He moved around the corner of the table, lowering himself to one knee as he brought the small black marble saucer into Erebus' view from behind his back. 

"I hope you like it." 

He placed the saucer on the corner of the table, careful not to jostle the piles of puzzle pieces nearby. 

He stood again, backing away as coils and ripples of power rolled from the Titan's body. 

A long finger reached for the saucer, seeming to hesitate a bare centimeter from the mound of pale cream, glistening with drizzles of golden honey.

Before Hades could take a breath, the Titan disappeared from where he lounged on the floor, and Hades felt himself gathered into lean arms that bunched and trembled with emotion. He barely registered the gentle caress of flickering silver-edged black flames. 

"Thank you, my little Aidon...."

The words were a breath against his ear.

And then Ere was gone, disappearing in another billow of smoke and mist. 

The black saucer was gone from the corner of the coffee table, a tendril of silver mistyness the only evidence of its acceptance by the ancient being's fragile heart. 

* * *

Hades stood at the end of the large bed, his eyes closed behind his glasses. His tie was knotted loosely around his neck, dangling gently over his bare chest, and his silk slacks were smooth against his thighs. 

He flicked a glance at the clock on the dresser against the wall by the door. 

9:03.

His dick twitched inside the loose tent of his slacks. He'd never been one to go commando, and he was actually really enjoying the free feeling, the unexpected and tantalizing caresses of the silk when he moved just a little.

But he stood as still as he could, waiting for his Queen to come claim her prize.

He heard the click of the latch.

The door began to swing slowly open, creaking quietly in the darkness.

And then she stood before him, a shadowy silhouette against pale moonlight.

His cock twitched again, and he felt his stomach muscles roll with the jolt. 

Her slight gasp let him know she'd seen it all....

"Aidoneus, let me tell you what I want tonight." Her breathy voice was somehow also confident. She knew what she wanted, and she was going to take it from him. 

He groaned softly as his mind jumped from possibility to possibility like lightning in a stormcloud.

"I want you to submit to me tonight. It's my turn to tease. It's my turn to make you writhe and whimper and beg for release." 

His knees trembled, and he whined softly. 

"Will you give me what I want, Aidoneus?"

"Oh, yes.... You win, sweetness. Take me, all of me...." His voice was a breath in the night.

He watched her step into the room, the door slipping closed behind her curvy body. His mouth watered as he felt her eye him hungrily, from bare feet to the jutting bulge at the top of his thighs to the quivering muscles on his stomach and the tense swells of his pecs. He raised his chin, baring his throat to her gaze so she could see him swallow under her demanding influence.

He felt a tickling touch at his ankle. He started to look down, confused.

"Eyes on me, Aidoneus." 

He snatched his gaze to his wife's wide-eyed face. The tickling touch traveled higher, slipping beneath the silk over his leg. He felt another tickle on his other ankle, and it also began to slide upward.

"Aidoneus, you've held me bound before."

He sucked in a breath, ragged with need, as his cock jumped, swelling, straining against the soft fabric encasing his lower body.

"Oh, shit...."

"Yesss, my King. Spring has come to claim you...."

The tickling touches suddenly rocketed upward from his ankles, the smooth surface of whatever it was thickening as it climbed. They scraped gently against his skin, and he gave a startled cry as his pants were unceremoniously ripped from his skin.

He had barely a moment to gasp in understanding as the vines wrapped around his legs, holding him upright as more of the green things sprouted from the hardwood floor beneath his bare feet to twine around his hips, arms, stomach, and even a few gently laid along the curve of his neck and the back of his head.

One thin green vine, tipped with a small three-lobed leaf, flicked back and forth across his tie. The sweeping sensation sent chills over his skin. Another vine, just a little thicker, ran a blunt tip, finger like, over his lower lip. The thickest ones, wrapped around his legs, rippled like living muscle, massaging the bundles of muscle in his thighs and along his calves, a sensation foreign but oh so pleasurable he felt his mind melting down into his lower stomach. 

His eyes rolled back into his head, and he moaned roughly as he succumbed to the sensations. 

He was brought suddenly back to himself when a damp tongue flicked against his swollen dick.

His hips jerked, but the vines that bound him kept him from moving too far. There was nothing to push against, and nothing to grab onto. His mind went soaring, and his heart leaped into a pounding gallop as adrenaline pumped into his veins.

She chuckled, and he growled. 

"Now, now, husband. You said you would submit. I'm going to take you. You'll get what you want. When I say you can...." 

"Minx...."

"Queen...." Her voice was hard, dominant, demanding his submission. He looked down, his glasses askew from the teasing of the vines behind his head. Her wide eyes drowned him. 

And he let himself fall under her spell.

"My Queen...." 

He bucked futilely again as her lips engulfed the head of his cock. Her tongue writhed against the hot skin of his dick as she bobbed, mimicking the rippling, shifting movements of the vines all over his body.

He continued writhing under her assault, moans and whimpers pouring from his throat. His fingers clenched on nothing but air, and he felt everything he was condense into a single pool of flaming liquid desire at the middle of his body.

He grunted loudly, feeling himself about to fall apart....

And then he was flying back onto the bed. The vines released him, leaving tingling marks against his skin as they scraped against his hypersensitive flesh. He landed on his back, and his eyes wide and stunned, as his beautiful pink Persephone landed on top of him, somehow naked in a heartbeat. 

She sunk down onto his throbbing dick, her moist lips parting and warm walls squeezing the entire length of him, as he nearly fainted from the overstimulation.

She began rocking as he struggled back to awareness, and he gazed at her, begging with his eyes alone for the permission only she could grant.

"Touch me, Aidoneus. Pleasure your Queen, in every way you can!"

And he did.

He dug his fingers into the flesh at her hips, thrusting, finally finding purchase in the mattress beneath him. Though he was so close from her carefully calculated teasing, he somehow kept going. It was like she had opened a floodgate, and his capacity for pleasure had rocketed to a whole other level and depth. 

He felt micro-shocks whipping through his abdomen as he chased his release, using her body, feeling the flutters in her warm walls as she too became trapped in a blissful neverwhere between teasing pleasure and mind melting euphoria....

Until she lost her balance, her plump ass crashing to his pelvis, burying him in her depths with a sudden stop.

He exploded, and carried her with him. 

He jerked as her trembling body fell onto his chest. His arms wrapped limply around her warmth, and he held her as he panted wildly. 

"Holy.... Wow.... I didn't think it would be THAT good...." Her whispered exclamation had him chuckling breathlessly. 

"Really?... I thought.... you were.... betting on it...."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looking forward to any comments and feedback! You all have seriously made this quite an adventure for my first time writing a fan fic! We're getting close to the end, so, loving the love.


	39. Normalcy

_Entry 7_

_On a precious gift...._

_I shared this with your father today, but it's still a part of the King's History. And there's a lesson in this, too. I leave you this gift, because gifts are meant to be shared. Only then do they find their full purpose, and only then do we find the full enjoyment of them...._

_Like puzzle pieces. One piece, quaint and colorful though it may be, is simply an oddity. Until you find the connections it makes with its fellows. And as you continue making matches and piecing the disparate groups into a single cohesive whole, you find layers upon layers of enjoyment that would never have existed. _

_Had you not encouraged the first piece to share itself with its companions. _

_Its family. _

_Helios was the first one of my little ones to decide how he wanted to exist, what he wanted to do with his mighty gifts...._

* * *

_30PA_

_I knew there had to be more to the yogurt thing! _

_Thank you for the gift, Ere. That is absolutely precious. I cannot thank you enough...._

_Yes, I can, actually. _

_I'm going to give it a try...._

_31PA_

_I tried it last night. _

_You weren't kidding._

_There's magic in that taste...._

_32PA_

_Hope you're ready for another afternoon with my dad. He seriously refused to leave the house this morning. He's been in the TV room all day, sorting movies and making a list of things he wants to show you. _

_You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into, old man. _

_Enjoy yourself!_

_-Arry_

* * *

_32PA post-heartbeat_

_I'll take my chances. As long as my damned eye cooperates...._

_So, I have a question for you, kid._

_And I feel like an idiot having to ask, but...._

_When's your birthday?_

_-Ere_

* * *

_Entry 8_

_On the discovery of the heartbeat of the cosmos_

_I realize it took a while for me to get this for you. I hope I can do justice in the sharing. This one is tough, but I think I'm ready._

_I haven't felt this put-together in centuries. _

_Normal...._

_Anyway. _

_I think I always could drift into the heartbeat, but it took trying to show it to my little ones and seeing them learning to accomplish it that made me realize it wasn't truly a natural-born talent for them. _

_See, for me, originally, while my little ones were still barely toddling and beginning to learn to speak, I think I existed in a semi-permanent half-way between state. Half in the heartbeat, and half out of that stream of connection. _

_Because that's how Gaia and Oranus communicated to me. It wasn't so much a flow of thought or an actual conversation. More like, I held the curtains back from my Self's windows, and kept them in the corner of my eyes as I went about my business, and they would share things with me just by existing. _

_When they spoke to me, in our original Primordial tongue, it was like they came right up to the windows and knocked, and I would turn my full attention to them to hear what they had to say. But most of the time, I drifted, and they drifted, too._

_But, once my little ones began to develop their Selfs, separate from the flow that Gaia and Oranus had swaddled them in, I realized they couldn't exist in that in-between. They were either in the cosmic river, or on the shore. _

_And they had trouble getting in and out, back and forth. _

_So, I intensified my study of their developing tongue. They essentially had already forgone and forgotten the Primordial we - Gaia, Oranus, and myself - had spoken to and around them since they took their first fumbling steps, their first warbling breaths, in favor of their own purring, thrumming voices. Gaia and Oranus thought me pandering; that I should instead be focusing on helping their children re-learn the Original, the Primordial voice of the cosmos. _

_But I didn't care what they thought. They weren't feeding my little ones anymore. _

_They were my little ones, and they could speak. It was I that needed to learn. _

_So I did. I listened. I watched. And eventually, I began to ask them questions, trying to learn more, digging deeper into their little minds for the nuggets of language they had been developing that I needed. _

_And, looooong years later, I taught my little ones what they had never known they missed. _

_I told them about the cosmos, the river of life, the flow of death, and I gathered their little Selfs within my own mind and showed them how to drift. _

_We drifted for an age. My heart was full of their bright wonder and darkly sensuous pleasure. _

_When we reemerged, I knew they wouldn't forget again. _

_Rhea threw her little body into my arms as she opened her eyes. They were larger now, but still so small, compared to my huge frame. Her entire body did not pass the length of my forearm, but, oh, my little queen was strong. _

_My heartbeat slowed, keeping the time with my little ones' steady rhythms. _

_My heart has never sped back up since then...._

_I think, perhaps, my heart was never as fast as yours or your father's, or any of the younger generations. But I do remember that it had held a slightly quicker pace before my little queen hugged me after that first drift with them all in my soul. _

_And since then, it has been closer still to the steady pace of the cosmos itself. _

_So, yeah. I know you've been wondering about my heartbeat. _

_I think my little ones left a mark on me that will never fade...._

* * *

_33PA_

_That's really incredible...._

_Thank you. _

_And you're not an idiot...._

_My birthday's in another month. It'll be, ummmmm_

_Day 64PA for us. _

_Obviously, I would like that day for myself. I am more than willing to let you pick night before or after, though. Whichever you like. _

_My gift to you...._

_So, I'm really glad we're settling into something like normalcy, Ere. _

_I feel.... _

_Calm. _

_Powerful. _

_Like I'm becoming who I'm meant to be._

_And I thank you for all your help in that...._

_Oh. I think I'm figuring out the little black flames. I thought I saw some when I stepped to the bathroom this morning, through the Void, I mean. I wasn't quite paying attention, but I'm watching now. _

_There weren't any silver edges, though. I don't know why, but...._

_I'll figure it out. _

_But any hints you might deign to give me would be a big plus! Might even earn you an extra night!_

_Just kidding, you know I'll give ya however many you want. I just thought we were sticking with a 3-day cycle. But if that's not working for you, you know you can tell me. _

_Okay, breakfast. _

_I'm thinking I'll try some strawberry yogurt this morning. It seems safe...._

_-Arry_

_35PA_

_Still haven't figured out if I fooled myself thinking I saw them black flames. Haven't been able to catch any since then...._

_My father's back at work this afternoon. Big meeting or something. Mom said she'll be home around 6. It's about 4 right now - sorry, little late today. Got hung up in a good book. _

_I left it out for you, if you wanna try it. It's not a romance.... _

_It's one of my favorites, though. _

_Have a good night!_

_-Arry_

* * *

_35PA post-heartbeat_

_Arry...._

_You're a twerp._

_Not a romance, my ass._

_The only reason it's not a romance is cause it makes no sense...._

_How is this one of your favorites? Or were you pulling my bony leg?_

_I'm not reading this...._

_Gah. How did you even find this piece of shit book...?_

_"Kiss me sweet beneath the sea?"_

_Mermaids and hippokampia?_

_That's...._

_Just...._

_That's not right, boy...._

_It's going in the drawer, I can't even look at it._

_Gross._

_I feel gross._

_I'm cleaning your room. You'll be lucky if I don't break Rule number whatever - the organization rule. _

_Curse you...._

_Freaking teenager. _

_-Ere_

* * *

_Entry 9_

_On the King's flames_

_You're forgetting one of the most fundamental principles of our Void, boy. _

_It's our Self._

_Your Self. _

_You control it. _

_It is your Mind. _

_Have fun. I hate seeing you struggle. You've struggled enough. I'll give you this._

_Happy early birthday. _

_And happy late birthday 16 times...._

* * *

_36PA_

_I was just pranking you, man. It's not really my favorite book, I never even actually read a word of it!_

_I can't believe you actually gave it a try!_

_Thanks for restraining your retaliation to just cleaning. The room looks great!_

_And, Ere...._

_That's the best birthday gift I've ever gotten. _

_Those flames...._

_They're the coolest...._

_I'm working on a modification._

_I think you'll like it...._

_I'll try to get a video of it for you if I can get it right. Your next technology lesson - how to watch a video on a phone...._

_-Arry_

* * *

_King's Advice and History_

_Entry 10 (38PA, pre-heartbeat)_

_On modifying the King's flames_

_If Thought controls the Presentation of the Form of the King as He enters into and emerges from the Void, _

_Distractions should be Eliminated...._

_-Arry_

_(King of the Void, Second Iteration)_

* * *

"Boy, what have you done...?"

Erebus stared at the phone propped against a book on the desk. The screen was on, and a side-ways leaning triangle was overlaid on the dark images behind it. Erebus could see his own body - well, Arry's body - obscured behind the white shape. 

He looked at the note right in front of the phone, held flat to the desktop by an obsidian paper-weight. 

_Push the triangle, then sit back and watch_.

"I don't know how I feel about this surprise, kid. But, if you insist...."

He leaned forward from where he sat on the edge of the bed, hating the tremble in his fingertip as it approached the glowing screen. 

He pushed the triangle, then sat back and watched. 

His body, Arry's body, was framed against the wall of shelves filled with scrolls behind him. Erebus glanced up quickly from the small screen, finding the exact spot where the kid had stood to make this video. 

Then he heard the light baritone voice coming from the phone, resounding brightly from where the speaker was leaning against the shelter of the propping book. 

"Hey, Erebus. Happy early birthday to us, ya weirdo."

He watched the pink eyes flash brightly, and the kid raised one leg dramatically. He leaned forward, and Erebus felt his jaw fly open in shock. 

A rainbow of flames, edged in black and silver plasma streaks, outlined the body as it disappeared from view. Every color possible, bright and piercing like the dawn, but shadowed with metallic plasma that hinted at dark, dark power.

Then suddenly, the pink eyes and the pale face took over the entire view on the screen. Erebus jumped, a shout bursting from his slack mouth. 

"Bye, old man...." A gentle smile flashed for an instant, before the pale triangle reappeared, situated right over Arry's aquiline nose. 

Erebus felt his heart give a solid, lurching thump against his ribs. He blinked.

And then he collapsed helplessly to the bed, thrashing as he laughed and cackled and hooted in the ecstasy of humor. Tears trickled from his eyes, and the squeeze of his heart let him know that not all of them were laughter-induced. 

Some of them came from deep wells of love for the boy that shared his soul....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been looking forward to this chapter and the next for a loooong week. Can't wait to hear what y'all think!!!!


	40. Tangled Threads

Athena clasped her fingers around the hand-brake, feeling the rumbling revolutions of the engine between her legs slow, the thrum going deeper in tone and the pulsing beats spacing out as her cycle grabbed the gravel beneath the wide tires. She leaned to the left a little, bringing her boot down on the surface of pea-sized stones as she ground the bike to a halt, parallel to the dark waves lapping gently at the shore mere hundreds of feet away. 

She killed the throttle, and the sudden silence was like a sound all its own. 

The sun was sinking low behind the shadowy peaks and mounded trees leagues away from the shore, directly in the center of the enormous bay. 

Arania flapped down from where she'd been silently following Athena's earthbound progress, landing lightly on the padded shoulder of Athena's leather jacket. The leather was a pale buff color, not quite grey but definitely the next best thing. Athena swung her leg over the cracked seat of her bike, and started walking slowly to where the dark near-black of the waves met the pale shoreline. 

The sun crept lower, barely kissing the distant island's shadowy face. 

Athena stopped at the edge of the dark water. She felt the waves lap at the toes of her dusted boots. 

She closed her eyes. 

Arachne's Island was one of the most strange places in the cosmos, according to all sources. And Athena had read through them all. 

There were only two things certain in her mind. Two logical pieces of truth, and all that she trusted as the sun continued sliding into darkness outside her lowered lids. 

The first:

The Island somehow existed in all three realms: Olympus, Mortal, and Underworld. Its geography was the same no matter which realm you entered from. The shores of the perfectly circular sea, the dark water and pale gravel. It never changed. 

But that didn't stop people who sought it out or stumbled across it from disappearing, never known again - except maybe to dark Hades on his throne of eternal judgment. 

The second:

The name of the island had not left her mind since the night of her panic attack and visions a few weeks before. 

Aside from these two truths, these two certainties, there was one faint, nagging instinct. She had refused to acknowledge it for years, obsessing over the lore of the Island for centuries, but never admitting to anyone - including herself - why....

She felt like she'd been there before....

Arania's talons tightened on her shoulder, and though she was protected, she winced at the pressure and strength. She opened her eyes. 

The sun was gone. Darkness reigned. 

And a bridge of silver moonlight and thin black lines led straight from her feet to the distant shore of the island. 

A tide. 

A call. 

A summons. 

A promise. 

Athena stepped from the pale gravel of the shore onto the light of the bridge, Arania swaying gently on her shoulder as a cold breeze began to blow....

* * *

Arry groaned, rolling from his back and onto his butt as he scooted to the edge of the bed. He rolled his neck, feeling a light twinge in a muscle. Habit took over his hand, and he reached for the note on the desk one stride from his position....

_Day61PA_

_Arry, _

_Happy early birthday week, Young Majesty. _

_I'll take the evening of Day65, if that's alright. _

_Enjoy yourself these next few days. I know some of the surprises your family has planned for you. _

_Ha. _

_Don't even bother to ask me in the mirror. I'm closing the door to keep these secrets!_

_Trust me, though. You're gonna love 'em. _

_Now, I know the flames a few weeks ago were an early birthday present.... But...._

_I have something else for you. I've been working on it for a few nights. If your neck hurts, that's why. I haven't gotten to sleep as early as I should, and I've been hunched over the desk. _

_Your present is in your armoire. _

_I know you're gonna love it. _

_Seventeen is gonna be a great year, I guarantee. _

_So, yeah. Enjoy your four day reprieve from the old man in your head. Enjoy being young, kid. _

_I'm not joking. I'm wore out. I don't know why. I feel like I'm forgetting something important. But I honestly don't know what it is. _

_But that's not your problem, Arry. Don't worry about my crazy self. _

_Love you, Arry. _

_-Ere_

Arry scrambled to his feet, excitement throwing bright flames from his outline as he jumped through the Void's edge. He nearly slammed into the closed doors of the armoire, but he managed to rock back enough on his heels to bring his hands forward and throw the double doors open.

Smoke and Mistyness billowed out, revealing a present for the Young Majesty....

* * *

Persephone brushed the damp hair off her forehead. She laughed as she looked into the window over the sink, realizing she'd left a streak of creamy-colored flour across her hairline. 

Her laugh had her husband looking over at her from where he stirred a bowl of eggs. He saw why she was laughing, and he slammed the bowl on the counter, bending double as he burst out in hysterics with her. 

They both laughed loudly, for more than a minute, before the chiming tone of Persephone's phone startled them from their mirth. She slapped her hands down the front of her apron while Hades wiped his weeping eyes; the screen lit up as she poked the home-button. 

TEXT MESSAGE RECEIVED:

FROM ARRY/ERE:

_Mom, is Dad with you in the kitchen? If so, please, can you both come into the den? Have something I want to show you. If not, text me back...._

She held the phone out to Hades, letting him read the message. He smiled brightly, and they both stripped out of flour-dusted and milk-splattered aprons. Finally somewhat decent in the dawn-dim hours of their son's birthday, they walked hand in hand to the den. 

They paused outside the doorway, eyes locking in tandem mischief. 

Persephone silently mouthed:

"One.... Two.... Three...!"

They jumped around the corner, landing with their arms thrown wide, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" exploding past their lips in unison.

The den was empty.

"Arry...?" Persephone's voice was high-pitched in her confusion. 

Suddenly, she felt a rumble, like a sound beneath the threshold of hearing. Something low, throbbing, pulsing slowly through the fabric of reality. 

And then he stepped through the edge of the Void, black flames with silver and blue streaks of plasma mixing and churning in the cloud of smoke and mistyness that billowed around his massive form. 

His pink eyes glowed brightly as he stared straight at his parents. His long white hair lifted in the waves of power that rolled off of him. A delicate black line encircled his brow, but it didn't seem to trap his hair beneath it.

The line was made of smoke and mist, and it crowned the King of the Void in mysterious power and majesty. 

Her hands rose slowly to her lips as she looked, finally, at the rest of him. 

The robe was different. While he'd been wearing skin-tight not-fabric for the last few years, this was somehow even tighter. The lines of the muscles on his lean torso stood out in sharp relief as the dusty-sheerness coated his skin like powder. There was a plunging neckline to the thing, revealing bone-pale skin in a deep V to just below his sternum. The skirts now hung in more layers from his narrow hips, the outermost set heavy, as if they were backed with mail or iron rivets. They parted as he stepped forward, revealing hundreds of wispy strands beneath that hid whatever was coating his legs and waist beneath their flickering folds and swaying swirls. 

"What do you think, Mom?"

Her son twirled, arms out to the side like wings as he spun in a tight circle. The heavy outermost flaps of his robe barely rose, but the thinner layers beneath lifted through the gaps in front and behind and at his sides, stirring the smoke and mist into a billowing cloud, not unlike an inverted tulip or calla lily made of darkest night. 

He stopped, looking at her face with a huge smile on his own.

"Ere made it for me. 'Fit for a King,' he said."

Persephone felt her mouth moving like a fish on dry land, but she couldn't make a sound. 

She felt Hades beside her in a similar state, and she struggled to get past the shock as Arry's face started to fall, the pink light glowing from his eyes dimming as he interpreted their silence as rejection.

Every one of the three jumped as a piercing shriek tore the air from the doorway behind the King and Queen of the Underworld.

"AAAAAAAAHHHH!!!! ARRRYYYYYY!!!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE HE GOT IT ALL DONE!!!!"

Vania came shoving between her parents, elbowing her father in the ribs as she bulled closer to her towering brother.

"Oh. My. Gods. Arry! Look at you! THAT'S how ya do an entrance, bro! Oooooh, spin again, I missed the first part!"

Arry smiled a little stupidly as Vania bounced lightly on her toes, her wings fanning the air with pale lavender light. 

He stepped back, obliging her with a sudden, powerful whirl. 

She clapped her hands like a toddler, laughing delight through her wide smile. 

Hades and Persephone finally broke through their shock, and moved closer to hug their son and wish him a happy birthday.

* * *

Later that morning, while Arry was out walking the fields with Vania for some brother-sister time, Persephone turned to her husband as he sat at the kitchen island. His head was wreathed in cigar smoke, and his glasses had slid down his nose an inch or so as he stared, hunched, at the thin booklet of spreadsheets and diagrams in front of him. 

"Hades...."

"Hrm, sweetness? Just a second."

She waited patiently, swiping a towel through a mixing bowl to dry it, until he closed the front cover of the folder and looked up at her, brushing his glasses back up his nose to bring her into focus. 

"Was it just me, or...."

"Was that robe...?"

"A little too sexy for our baby boy?" She rushed through her worry, grimacing as the words floated finally into the air between them.

"Exactly what I was thinking, sweetness...."

"I thought it was just me!"

"No. It's that damned robe...."

"But, I mean...."

"What, sweetness?"

"A King _should_ look powerful."

"Ha! There's a difference in powerful and seductive, sweet thing. That robe.... I think it's straddling the line, and I'm not quite sure how I feel about that."

"But, I mean, you told me that Erebus doesn't have the... parts... for anything, blehhhhch, seductive."

"But our boy does...." He blushed as he said it. She couldn't help but giggle a bit, feeling her face warm, too.

"Maybe Erebus didn't mean it that way. Maybe he really does think it's just, you know, a powerful, intimidating robe for a King...."

"I don't know."

"Can it be yesterday again, before we ever saw that this morning?" She laughed, and the tension eased away as Hades chuckled with her. 

"I think, my beautiful Queen, that unless our boy starts, ahem.... flaunting that robe in an inappropriate way - I think we should just let him enjoy the feeling and power of growing into his role. What do you say?"

"Yeah. You're right. But I did not like feeling like my baby boy was a freaking stud muffin!"

Hades collapsed bonelessly to the marble countertop, laughing and screaming hysterically as his wife's eyes went wide at the shock of her vulgarity, one blue fist pounding faintly beside his head.

Just as Hades began to regain some small control over his unruly body and lungs, he heard a spluttering roar behind him, from down the hall. Caernes' brassy voice belled out as he shouted with laughter.

"HAAAA! ARRY'S A STUD MUFFIN! BWAAAAAHAAAAA! WAIT-TIL I TELL VANNY!"

"CAERNES, DON'T YOU DARE! YOU WILL OBEY AN ORDER FROM YOUR QUEEN!"

"BUT, MAMA P, COME ON!"

"NOOOO-OOOOO!"

Hades fell to the floor as the other two collapsed with him into heaving piles of laughter....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is one I've been waiting for, for two main reasons:
> 
> One - THE KING'S GIFT!
> 
> I'd love to know what y'all thought of that whole bit!
> 
> Second - Athena....
> 
> We're closing in on the finales and endings. Things are coming to a close. 
> 
> The Shadows will be brought to Light. 
> 
> Please don't hesitate to let me know if you are finding any discrepancies. I've been putting in a lot of work on this thing for almost a month, but it's been a fast month. I'm pretty sure I've cleared up a lot of the kinks and accidental mis-speaks from earlier chapters - you may remember the chicken and strawberry salad from Perceptions, but Weirder; that didn't fit if I wanted to have Ere experience bbq-chicken pizza just a bit ago. So, I went back and fixed it....
> 
> As always, my soul lives on the precious yogurt of your comments and kudos and bookmarks and love!
> 
> Brace yourselves, mortals. Yee-haw.


	41. Presents and Prophecies

"Vanny, I tell you, this has been the best birthday I can ever remember having, and it's not even halfway over. I feel so great!" Arry flung his pale hands in the air, spinning again, feeling the skirts of his robe swaying and kicking up dust and swirling eddies of smoky and mist from his bare feet. 

Vania's laugh trilled out like moonbeams, and Arry felt the echoes of ancient memories sighing at the sound. 

"I'm so glad you're having a blast, baby bro. But, lemme tell you, you ain't seen nothing yet!"

"Really?"

"Mmmmhmmmmm. Just wait til we get back to the house."

".... Vanny, did you get me out of the house so the others could stage a surprise...?"

"Sure did, and you fell for it, you goof!"

They laughed together, and Vanny tucked herself against his side, her head barely brushing the swell of his pec near the top of his ribcage. His long arm settled gently around her narrow shoulders, his hand loosely resting against the side of her waist. 

She brought in a shallow breath, hoping....

She looked up at him, and he met her wide-eyed gaze with a soft smile. A smile which quickly morphed to startled confusion at the seeming tears in her eyes. "Vanny, is something wrong?"

"No. Everything's fine. Perfect."

"If I did something wrong...."

"No, it was just a nightmare or something from last night. No worries...."

"Maybe it was something we ate.... I had a feeling this morning that something was off, but I mean, I wasn't sleeping last night. So, I dunno. Maybe.... Maybe something's going on that I can sense, but I don't know. I was gonna leave a note for Ere when he wakes up tomorrow afternoon, see if he had any ideas...."

"I don't know. Sorry I'm not much help."

"Not your job to help, little sun-bird. So, how's things in bright Olympus above?"

His easy smile was back, and she relaxed as she started talking about job-hunting that Caernes was doing, and meeting new people at clubs and parties, and reconnecting with old friends coming back from vacations post-graduation. Hebe and Aluria were deep in talks with Hestia about adopting orphan mortal children; but no one was really sure if that was ever gonna fly. Apollo and Maichete were expecting another baby in a few more months, and Arlania was excited and scared to be a big sister after a decade as an only child. Ares and Hecate were off on a world-tour second-honeymoon type trip, enjoying life free from the demands of putting a strong citizen of a son into the world....

"And, ummm, Hera and Zeus are back together, and they seem to be making a good go of getting back on the right track."

Her brother stiffened slightly, and she felt the hand at her waist curl into a loose fist. But he visibly relaxed almost immediately, and she plunged on, having saved more good news to bring back the happy after that quick worry-inducing bit.

"And Hermes finally asked Thanatos out on a date."

"You're kidding!"

"Nope!"

"Daaaaang. You're gonna have to keep me informed of how that goes, Vanny. That's so strange to think about.... Hermes. On a date. An actual date. With Thanatos, of all people!?"

"I know.... But, hey. People grow up, and people make their own choices, right?"

They had turned into the winding dirt path that would cut around the base of their home-hill, and they drifted into a calm silence as they climbed slowly, just enjoying the bleak, haunting beauty of their home on a quiet day.

Until they topped the rise near the front circle-drive, and the sleek black car came into view. Caernes was leaning on one hip against the hood, and Hades and Persephone stood close by, smiling brightly.

Oblivious, Arry walked over to Caernes, giving him a light punch on the shoulder as he whistled softly. "Slick car, bro. But I thought you liked 'em purple and blue?"

"I do. This one's got a new paint job. For its new owner."

Arry smiled softly, still oblivious, and Vanny could't help it. She exploded with laughter. 

Arry looked down at her as she doubled over, his hand moving in front of her body as it looked like she was gonna just collapse to the gravel below. 

A dark indigo hand dropped a jingling ring of keys into his pale palm. Reflexively, he closed his hand around the metal, and then he straightened suddenly, nearly cracking the back of his head on Caernes' chin.

"You don't mean...."

"Happy birthday, Arry."

Disbelief had him looking to his parents. Persephone was bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet, her hands clasped over her chest. Hades nodded solemnly, raising a glass half-filled with amber scotch in a toast. Vanny finally got her breathing under control, and she dug her hand into the pocket on her pants, pulling out a small plastic card. 

"Learner's permit's ready to go, so get in the driver's seat, baby bro!"

Caernes stepped away from the door as Arry rushed to open it and clamber into the seat. He did smash the side of his head into the upper part of the frame, but the quick wince didn't hardly slow him down at all. 

Caernes moved to pull Vanny into a light embrace, brushing one hand over her hair as he held her close. 

"He didn't sense a thing?"

"No. But we're not done yet. Have you told Mom and Dad?"

"No. Do you want me to?"

"I'll text you. If Arry figures it out, they'll need to know before we get home, cause I really don't think he'll be able to contain himself. If not, then we'll tell them all tonight."

"You got it, my love. Have a good time teaching your brother the ropes."

"Oh, psssh, he'll be speeding down the freeway in no time!"

"A singularly scary thought." Caernes chuckled, the sound rumbling low in his chest as he placed a light kiss to Vania's forehead, and then a lingering one on her lips.

The horn's loud blare had them jumping apart, guilty looks on their faces like they were teens caught behind the gym....

"Vanny, come on! I thought you were coming with me!"

"I'm coming, bro! Hold your horses!"

"Who cares about horses, I've got a car!"

More laughter from everyone as Vanny moved around the front end, Caernes sprinting ahead to open the door for her. Once she was safely settled in the deep black leather seat, Hades, Persephone, and Caernes all started moving up the stairs back into the house. 

Vanny looked over at her brother; he had one hand hovering over the steering wheel, the other holding the keys just beside the ignition slot on the column. 

"Alright, bro. Start the car."

"My car...." 

The engine purred to life, and the lesson began....

* * *

"There ya go, Arry. Doing great."

"Thanks, Vanny." The car rolled smoothly down the pavement, glowing mushroom-dotted fields coasting by outside the tinted windows. He'd picked up driving surprisingly easily, he thought; he only lurched the car once, when he was trying to slow down at the bottom of their driveway. But Vanny had laughed lightly, saying everyone did that on their first downhill stop. After that, he'd gotten the feel for the car's responses, and he was absolutely enchanted. 

"So, Arry, there's someplace I want to take you. But we need to talk about it. Can you pull over in that runoff there?"

Arry spotted the wider patch on the shoulder, where a spectacular view of beautiful Styx's luscious curls glinted and sparkled in the middle distance through the folds of the hills. He maneuvered the car onto the gravel, and coming to a full stop, he slid the shifter into park. 

"That was smooooooooth, baby bro!"

"Thanks, Vanny. So, what did we need to talk about?" He left the car idling, so the heater would keep blowing gently. It wasn't cold to him, but Vanny had requested it after their long walk in the fields earlier. She was more used to the upper-realm's climates, now, he supposed. 

"I want to take you to a place in Olympus. This road will take us to the border, and the guards have all the royal family's info on file. We won't even have to stop to talk to them or anything, they'll just wave us through. And where I want to take you, we don't even have to get out. Just a driveby kinda thing. I really want to show you this, but I understand if that's not an option. But we've got the car, and it'll be good practice. What do you say? And Erebus, cause.... Yeah...."

Arry felt a hint of cautious worry coming from Erebus in his mind. He craned his neck to look into the mirror. The one pink eye there shifted to a dull red in the dim light of the dash panels. 

"What do you say, old man?"

The red iris disappeared behind a pale lid and silvery lashes. Once. Twice.

"Come on, man, it sounds safe enough. We're not even getting out of the car.... Please?"

The skin around the now-opened eye seemed to tighten. He felt a roll of worry shift inside him as Erebus considered. Arry waited.

He felt the sensation of a sigh, even though he was still breathing normally. 

The eye blinked once, and Arry felt somber trust ripple through his Self.

"Thanks, man. We'll be careful."

His reflection blinked once more, and the eye that opened in the mirror's glass was his own pink again.

"Alright, Vanny. Let's do it."

She lunged sideways across the console, planting a light kiss on the center of his pale cheek. "Yee-haw, Arry."

He shifted the car into gear, and looked diligently out the window and in the side-mirror as he pulled back onto the highway. 

He ignored the small twinges of worry that flitted through him the closer they got to the border....

* * *

The moonlight bridge ended at a black-stone shore. The sharp rocks beneath her boots glinted with infinite facets, and Athena realized with a shock that entire beach was made of obsidian shards. She raised her eyes, straining in the dark, and felt a hint of memory as she gazed at the trees towering tall on the cliffs high overhead. Arania ruffled her wings and shifted her balance on Athena's padded shoulder, a soft _cooooo_ leaving the angled beak. 

Athena looked back down at her feet. The moonlight bridge had ended, but a pale path that gleamed like starlight led meandering away toward the base of the cliff. 

She squared her shoulders, took in a deep breath that had her jacket straining over her lean chest, and took a purposeful stride onto the starlight path that led toward a cliff of void-black stone....

* * *

They'd gotten through customs just like Vanny had said. The guards took one look at his pale face through the slightly lowered window of his car - _his car_ \- and then waved them through without any hassle at all. Now they were approaching the shimmering veil that marked the border between the Underworld and Olympus. 

"Alright, Arry." Vanny's voice was excited as they approached the glittering magic of the inter-realm border. "The road continues straight through the border. All you have to do is keep driving, and let your eyes adjust, okay? It may take you a minute, it'll be bright over there, but the road is straight. Just hold your lane, and we'll be fine."

"Got it, Vanny."

He gripped the steering wheel a little tighter as the nose of the car got closer and closer to the shimmering wall of magic. 

But then they were through, and his eyes were watering in the bright light. He held the wheel straight as he blinked violently to clear his vision. 

"Great job, Arry! How you doing over there...?"

Finally his vision eased, and he flicked a glance at her beaming face. "Fine, sis. That was awesome!"

His heart thumped in his chest with adrenaline, and he laughed with Vania as they celebrated his first inter-realm commute.

* * *

The starlight path disappeared into a gaping black hole in the base of the faceted cliff. The sheer walls hemmed in, creating a small alcove, and there was no way to tell if another path could be found farther down the beach in either direction. 

And Athena had a sneaking suspicion, almost an instinctive knowledge, that leaving the starlight path would cause her terrible danger. 

She took a shuddering breath. Arania gripped her shoulder again, and Athena felt the bright spark of her connection to her protector flare in her mind. She saw herself, walking away from where she stood, into the black maw of the island's throat. 

She looked up at the bird's gleaming eyes, and nodded once. 

She stepped under the overhang far above, and followed the glowing path of starshine into the bowels of Arachne's Island. 

* * *

"Turn right here, Arry."

"Sis, where are we even going!? This is a freaking suburb! I can't imagine there's anything I want to see down here.... Anything that wants to see me...." He let the bitterness color his voice, but instantly regretted it. "Sorry. I think Erebus is more than a little uneasy. Just, how much farther?"

"Not far."

He made the right-hand turn. Continued down the tree-lined street, placid homes and neatly trimmed hedges peeking over the sidewalks to stare at the sleek black car with darkly tinted windows. 

"Okay, bro. Last turn. Right, that gravel drive there."

He spotted the drive, noticed it threaded between two overgrown hawthorn hedges, winding away in shadow up a hill. 

He made the turn, carefully checking to make sure he didn't scrape any branches into the sides of his car.

He followed the winding drive, feeling impatient once again as it seemed to climb the hill for ages. 

"Now, check this out."

Vanny's voice was quiet, breathless. 

Arry looked. 

The hedges suddenly pulled back, dropping away behind them. The drive became a circle in front of an ancient brick home; black onyx pillars stood sentry, swathed in climbing ivy and strangled in hellebores and clematis. The bricks were grey, smattered and splotched with lichens and mosses. The windows gleamed darkly, otherworldly eyes cautiously watching the intruders on the front drive. A crumbling fountain occupied the flagstone-bound courtyard in the eye of the circle drive's compass, and spidery willows nodded lazily at the four cardinal directions on the edges of the center space. 

A _For Sale_ sign leaned haphazardly against the bottom step.

With a bold red _Sold_ plaqcuard sashed across it on an angle. 

Arry slammed a foot on the brake. He and Vanny lurched forward; she threw her arms forward as she braced against the dash.

Arry whipped his head to look at her, his pale hair flying out behind him a curtain of milky locks. 

She just nodded, her eyes filling with tears. 

Arry's hands scrabbled for the seatbelt's clasp. He threw himself against the car door, disappearing in a flare of blue light and billows of smoke. He reappeared a step away from her door, and she fumbled for the button at her hip as Arry slung the door open. 

He grabbed her bodily as the seatbelt came loose, and pulled her from the car into a breath-taking hug. Her feet dangled above the ground as he stood there, swaying slightly, holding her for dear life. 

"Arry, it's not that bad."

"Bad?!" He lowered her gently to her feet, but he didn't take his hands from around her back. Instead, he lowered himself to his knees in front of her, so he could look her directly in the eyes. He moved his hands to each side of her waist, and she gasped a little....

"Bad? No, Vanny. I'm so happy for you! A home of your own! You're married, and you're gonna have a home of your own! It's just a matter of time before...."

He trailed off, his eyes dropping to where his hands held her waist. 

She felt the brush of blacker-than-black power as he tasted her aura. 

"Vanny...?"

She lifted her hands to his cheeks, pulling his eyes back to look in her own again. 

"Yep. You're gonna be an uncle next year...."

He sat back on his haunches, his hands falling limply to the top of his thighs. He stared at her stomach, still as a statue. 

She put a fist to her mouth, wondering what she should do. 

"Arry...?"

He didn't move. Didn't speak. He hardly seemed to breathe.

"I didn't mean to break you, bro...."

That seemed to reach him, barely. She placed on hand against his cheek, letting him take the time he needed to come back to her. 

Finally, he blinked a few times, seeming dumbstruck. She brushed her thumb along the sharp line of his cheekbone, not thinking of anything but how happy she was, and how she was gonna probably have to do this all over again with her parents that night....

He looked back up at her, and his eyes flashed red.

She flinched back.

A burst of thunder and flashing lightning took over the sky.

The silence that followed was as profound as the inside of a tomb....

* * *

Athena moved in utter darkness, following the fading light of the starshine pathway before her feet. She knew Arania was still on her shoulder, but the bird's gleaming eyes did nothing to light the blackness through which they moved. 

She felt a curtain of insubstantial threads break across her face, and she raised a hand to shield her eyes as light suddenly flared in the darkness. 

She blinked away tears as she looked upon a starlight valley, dark shades of green and indigo-blue and raven-black covering every leaf and vine and stem. 

Before her, not ten steps away, was a gigantic spider's web made of metal threads, glinting silver and black in the shimmering light of stars above. 

Stars that weren't stars. 

Gems. Of all colors and sizes. 

Brightly twinkling gems studded the ceiling of a vast obsidian cave. 

8 black gems moved against the blackness above. 

Twinkling black gems looked into her soul. 

Long ebony legs moved across the web in front of her, and she stared at the spider's enormous bulk as it shifted fully into her field of vision. 

The strong talons on her shoulder pushed down, digging in, pulling away. 

Arania flew to the spider's head, and Athena felt an inarticulate cry tear from her lips. 

The silver owl with black markings and a spider-web of threads upon its chest landed on one of the ebony legs, and looked back at her with gleaming, moon-bright eyes. 

The spark in Athena's mind flared, brighter than ever before, and she felt herself falling inside herself, into the 8 glittering eyes of the Spider's Widow. 

_Little one, welcome back, at last...._

"Arachne...."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahem. We hereby begin the countdown....  
There are 45 chapters all told.   
Brace yourselves, my mortal lovelies....
> 
> I look forward to your yogurt! (I mean, ummm, thoughts and comments!)


	42. Hunted in the Light and Memories in the Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Strong scenes of violence and gritty gore, not to mention serious peril and danger and panic, will begin in this chapter and continue for the next few....  
We're approaching the end.  
But please....  
Do not weep, my little ones.  
We can never be who we are without our pasts, and we all make our choices....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once more, per prior readers' experiences, Swoonie recommends you make a block of time to read from this chapter to the end in one sitting.
> 
> Proceed, and enjoy!

The lightning continued flashing as Vania sped around another corner, retracing the directions she'd given Arry earlier in the day. Thunder rolled nearly continuously as the car purred, responding to her touch and almost as if it were responding to her thoughts. Her phone rested on the magnetic pad on the dash, and she thought again that she should have activated the voice-control system within the little box a long time ago. She was driving too fast, trying to get them back to the border, as the God of Gods hunted her brother through the bright Olympus sky.

"Arry, how you doin' over there?" She spared a glance to her brother's pale form in the passenger seat as she internally sighed in relief that her voice was steady, comforting, not at all as breathless and panicked as she felt....

Arry's long body was hunched in the seat, turned toward the door. His feet slid back and forth across the carpeted floorboard, and one hand was curled over his face against the blinding flashes of light that were becoming more and more frequent, though still random as hell. The other hand clawed against the glass, ripping down repeatedly, as if he was losing his grip on a ledge above a fall too high for words....

But he chuffed out a tight breath at her gentle concern. "I'll.... fuck.... how much farther, Va...?" His voice was tight, low growls and hollow notes thrumming with barely controlled panic and something like deadly rage. Her heart squeezed as he seemingly unknowingly dredged up his toddler-speak nickname for his oldest sister.

"Shouldn't be but another few minutes. We're on the highway again, the border should only be a few more miles down the line. There's hardly any cars out, so we oughtta be able to make even better time." She lowered the accelerator a little more at her claim, and the car responded like a thing alive.

"Good...." A heavy shudder racked his tense body, and a hissing breath clawed its way down his throat as the lightning flared again. 

Vanny jumped, the car swerved a little, as her phone rang. She slammed a finger on the green button as she saw Caernes's name and goofy headshot flare to life, upside down and backwards, against the windshield....

"Caernes, thank Gaia. I don't have a lot of time, so listen closely."

* * *

"Vania, what's wrong? I had this feeling a minute or two back, from our spell...."

"Caernes, LISTEN! I love you. I'm driving Arry and me back from Olympus. Zeus is hunting."

Caernes sucked in a breath, his heart going cold and dead in his chest. Then, with a cold clarity of thought, his brain shifted a little, and he felt his inheritance from his father begin to exert its control. His eyes locked on the distant eastern horizon from where he stood at the bottom of the mansion's front stairs, looking out over the circle of the drive. 

"Please tell me you're already on the freeway."

"Yes, Caer. Please, tell mom and dad. Tell them whatever you need to, but get them ready. I don't.... I don't know how much it's gonna take to get Arry back if this gets worse. He's nearly seizing now. Just, whatever you do, do not come through the border. Promise me!"

"Vania, no, I will not promise that. We're coming to help get you home!"

"CAERNES, NO!" She rode him down, and he heard the engine roar as she sped up again. A flash of light, faint in the eastern distance, buzzed to life against the roiling black and blue of the Underworld sky. A low rumble of thunder reached him as his wife began speaking again, commands that would not be denied dripping power into her voice. "We are nearly to the border. If you come, you will not only miss us entirely, you will draw further attention where none is needed. You will do whatever you must to keep my parents in the Underworld, where Arry needs them, until we make it back. Swear it!"

"Vania...!"

"Dammit, Caernes, swear on the life of your child!"

He sucked in a sharp breath.

"I swear it."

"I love you, I have to drive. 5 minutes, Caer. I love you, husband."

The phone clicked as she ended the call, and Caernes turned, rushing back into the dark stone house, calling out for his in-laws....

* * *

She twisted her fingers around the steering wheel as another flash of light nearly blinded her. The road continued straight, and she strove for control as a tremor made her body convulse, the tires slipping a little as her hands jerked slightly on the wheel. They topped another slight hill, and the misty veil suddenly appeared, a mile before them....

"We're almost there, Arry. I can see the border."

A slight sob tore from his lips, and Vanny felt herself on the edge of breaking down, too. Thunder made itself known with a vengeance, and a blinding streak impaled itself upon the ground to the left of the car. Dirt and grass and pale pink flowers blew skyward like mist from a whale's spout, and Vanny couldn't stop herself from jerking the wheel to the right reflexively. Her heart gave a pounding thump, and Arry moaned out a broken whimper as dirt clods and tiny stones pelted the car under the terrible roar of the thunder and the squealing shriek of tires struggling for purchase.

"Almost there." The veil reared before her, still a few seconds away, but she lined the car's nose back down the lane of the highway, taking in a shallow breath as hope and victory flared in her chest.

Light blinded her, and she felt the nose of the car jerk downward, as if a mighty boot had crashed to the hood. An explosion loud enough to deafen her broke her mind, and she collapsed, letting the thrashing, blinding, screaming world take her where it would....

* * *

A violently passionate scream of rage and anger and fear and pain and hate and sorrow and primal savage fury tore through his mind. He felt stones digging into his body, felt his legs trapped, tangled around each other, thin wisps of fabric working in tandem to bind him to impotence. 

Arry's chest felt like stone, he couldn't draw in a breath. 

_Vanny, Vanny, have to get Vanny...._

Finally, the violent not-sounds-not-thoughts in his head receded, letting him focus. His breath came in with a loud gasp, deep enough to make the bones creak and the muscles cry out in protest, but he thought he had never been grateful for anything so much as that one dusty, iron-tasting breath. 

He picked his ringing head up from where it rested against hard pavement, feeling a muscle twinge violently in his neck. His left eye was obscured behind his hair, his right arm twisted beneath his side. He pushed, straining, trying to get up to find his sister. 

Her dark burgundy form lay thirty long feet away, unmoving, one hand laid across the dirt-spattered asphalt, stretched toward him.

He thrashed, scrambling, trying to get to her, but the fabric around his legs had him bound tighter than the chains of Tartarus eternal. His panicked mind refused his commands, his fingers clawing against the pavement, dragging him across the long inches toward his sister's still body rather than reaching down to untangle his legs. 

He heard an echoing crash behind him, and instead of crawling faster, or dropping through the Void, he froze. 

Ice coated his heart as tingles crawled their way over his body. 

The taste of iron on his tongue was deadly.

A sob tore from him as he felt himself caught in the grip of fear too powerful and sorrow ancient beyond the telling. 

Until a heavy booted foot planted itself against the back of his left knee. 

The rage exploded out of him, though his body remained frozen on the pavement. He could hear nothing beyond the vicious, bestial snarls in his mind, the echo of words that promised eternal retribution and long-in-coming sweet death from torturous pain rolling like the thunder that beat against his aura from the King holding him pinned. 

And then Everything stopped as a fiery icicle of frozen flame slammed through his back and out the front of his chest, three inches above his heart....

He felt himself flicker, and he opened his pink eyes in the nothing of the Void.

He couldn't move. 

He couldn't breathe.

His heart refused to beat. 

The coils of darkness that were Erebus' primal self unwound beneath him, cradling his his formless body and Self as one smoky-misty length moved itself before his face. Misty red eyes opened in the head of the coil, and though there was no face to the thing, Arry felt the sorrow and regret that lanced through the King, the source of his soul.

_Arry, no...._

Erebus, I think I'm hurt....

_I know, Young Majesty. _

Vanny....

_I know. But I can't help with this._

But....

_I can't. My Self cannot take control of the body while that bolt is in your chest. You're not strong enough to take it out, and Vanny's in danger. You know what you have to do. This is your choice, Young Majesty._

I don't know....

_You can let go. I won't blame you. It's the same choice I made, before...._

_Or you can save your sister and her baby._

_Whatever you choose, I'll stay with you, until the end._

Vanny.... Help.... me.... Vanny....

_Alright, my King. Here's what you need to do. You need to go back. The pain, it's gonna be overwhelming, but you have to focus. Remember, your thoughts are all that matters. You are the Void. It will respond. _

_Go back. Then drop through the Void, drop right on top of Vanny. You have to touch her, any part of her, to take her with you. A finger will do, but get as close as you can. _

_It'll be a bumpy ride for her, but the closer you hold her, the easier on the baby. _

_Shield them with your Self, and drop immediately back into the Void. _

The red-eyed coil seemed to look away for a moment....

_Caernes and your parents are waiting on the front lawn. Once you have hold of Vanny, drop again, and just crashland on the driveway. _

_You can do it, Young Majesty. _

_Here we go. _

_Go. _

_NOW!_

Arry flickered back into the reality of pain and rage and fear. He plummeted into the Void, feeling the ice above his heart sending out tendrils into his flesh. He crashed to the ground, feeling fingers of lightning reaching across the sudden space between himself and thundering Zeus. He scrabbled his right hand toward Vanny's outstretched fingers. 

Her black eyes opened, locking on his. 

She lunged, taking his fingers in a death grip as she threw herself across the ground, closing the distance between them with gasping sobs. 

He let her cling to his chest like a child as he dropped through the Void once more.

* * *

"Something's wrong. We need to go!"

"Hades, Vanny said to wait. It hasn't been a full five minutes yet."

"Yes, sir. They're probably coming over the hill any second."

Hades twisted his hands around the bident, feeling smoke curling from under his crown as he strove for control.

Fizzling rumbles of not-sound below conscious hearing rolled over the driveway, and two tangled forms dropped from midair to land in a gasping pile on the gravel twenty feet away.

Caernes reached them first, snatching Vania off the ground into a crushing hug. Her sobs tore out of her, and she twisted, trying desperately to reach back for Arry's pale and smoke form on the ground. 

Hades dimly felt his knees hit the gravel.

Persephone collapsed against his shoulder in a faint, and his arms mechanically moved to hold her as his throat grew tight. 

A pale lightning bolt, barely flickering with contained power, glimmered in the dim light of the Underworld's afternoon, stabbing straight into the air from Arry's unmoving chest. 

* * *

_Kid...._

_Arry...._

_Come on, kid, we need to talk. _

_Come on!_

[[[Erebus.... I'm.... cold.... I don't.... remember.... cold....]]]

_I know, Arry. _

[[[Vanny....]]]

_She's fine. She and the baby, they'll be okay. _

_You did it, Young Majesty._

[[[Then.... rest....]]]

_Yes, you can rest. But...._

[[[????]]]

_You can rest, but you don't have to die...._

[[[How...?]]]

_If you can get the bolt out of your chest, I can take over the body. Our roles will reverse. _

_The tables will turn. _

_You can rest. You won't die, but you won't be able to come back to this body. But maybe, when you've rested, you could still look out, see your family. Wink in the mirrors...._

_If I take over the body. _

_You know it's been shifting back and forth - my body, your body. We haven't had the same body all the time for a few weeks, kid. That's why I can't come in, while that bolt's in ya. _

_But if you can get it out, I can keep us alive. _

_Because the body will be closer to mine than yours, then...._

_It's your choice, Arry. I don't want to die, but I won't make that choice for you. _

_You're a King. You of all people have this choice...._

....

....

....

[[[Live, Ere....]]]

_You got it, kid. _

_Get Caernes to get this thing out of you, and I'll make that bastard pay...._

* * *

Caernes held Vania closely, keeping her from wriggling free as she screamed and sobbed for Arry to wake up. Caernes stared at the kid's chest, the bolt glimmering almost peacefully with the remnants of violent passion and fury. 

He couldn't hold onto Vanny as Arry's pink eyes suddenly snapped open, locking on his own pale yellow ones. 

He moved as in a trance as he felt _something _reaching for his mind. He recoiled, at first, instinct warring with the knowledge that he needed to hear what the kid needed to say.

[[[_bolt...._]]]

_????_

_[[[out....]]]_

He stopped thinking as he realized the voice, faint though it was, sounded confident. Commanding. 

He obeyed the King. 

He shoved past Vanny's sobbing form, not even realizing she fell to her hip in the gravel. He rolled Arry's torso away from him enough to see the back edge of the jagged shape squarely placed through the left shoulder-blade. Grabbing hold of the tingling piece of starlight and plasma against the thin, cold-cold back, he reached over Arry's body, bracing his hip against the thin waist. 

He cracked his hand in a chopping motion over the longer portion of the bolt protruding from Arry's chest and ripped the bolt backwards through the width of the kid's torso as the front of the thing snapped off. 

The body flickered like static on a television, and disappeared.

Two pieces of a broken lightning bolt faded to dead metal as thunder rolled in the east. 

A gleaming light, a star thrown from Olympus above, rocketed toward the home of the King of the Underworld.

* * *

Hades stared at where his son's body had disappeared. He felt a primal fury fill him as he locked his eyes on Caernes. 

Caernes, for his part, felt the savage rage behind him, and he turned, rising into a ready crouch as Hades threw himself to his feet. 

Persephone, who had barely begun to come out of her faint, gasped and blinked rapidly, trying to figure out what was happening. 

Vania scrambled to her feet, as well, stepping between her husband and father as the power between them boiled closer to the breaking point. 

"STOP IT!"

And they did.

"He's not dead! Can't you feel them?"

As if she had taken hold of their minds, the three distraught immortals felt their senses open. They felt the coiling power, insubstantial though it was, swirling like a maelstrom around the mansion, the fields, the metropolis. 

Wider than galaxies. 

Ancient beyond the telling. 

And readying for a vengeance as sweet and precious as yogurt to the soul....

"Erebus saved Arry." Vania's voice was faint, but though it trembled, there was power and truth in her words.

"We just have to hold Zeus long enough for him to come and claim him...."

The four of them looked to the east; the falling star that was the God of Gods came closer and closer, bringing lightning and thunder and unadulterated hatred to the battlefield that had been their home....

* * *

* * *

_Welcome back, little one...._

"Arachne...."

_Yesssss. It has been long, but Time is now ripe, ripe as souls in the fullness of their years...._

"I don't understand...."

_We know.... We ensured that...._

"Explain...! Please! What have I forgotten...? What is this place?"

A ringing silence filled the starlight cavern swaddled in the darkness of mist and gems....

"Who am I?"

_Aaaattthhhh-nnnnaaaa...._

As if a switch had flipped in her mind, Athena felt herself caught in an empty space, cradled in Memories finally released, Memories not her own, but that had molded her long ages before she had become a conscious being. Her eyes drifted shut....

And she knew, knew without knowing, the word whispered in the nothing of the Memory-space, was a name. 

Hers. 

And she knew, vaguely, its meaning....

_Truths._

The flaring spark in her mind seemed to glow and swell suddenly to the light of a thousand suns. The spiderweb of silver threads embedded in her chest began to burn, but the pain was comforting in its heat; it burned, and as it burned, it melted through the spells that had held her trapped behind her own Self. 

Her eyes opened, and she could not blink. 

She could only watch as the enormous spider before her lifted itself to the giant metal web, turning its belly to the threads and exposing the back of its abdomen to her view. The silver and shadow hourglass swallowed her vision, and she saw....

Felt....

_A pale being cloaked in smoky dust and billowing mist, with blood red eyes, forty-five feet tall, stood in shadows beneath a cliff along the side of a secluded valley. _

_Titans ran screaming, sobbing, down the length of the valley, and he watched._

_One, pale as he, naked as a babe where the other was robed, strode mightily down the valley, clawing his hands into the soil beneath, power leaching from the earth's skin and into his own. He glowed more brightly with pale moonlight and starshine as he absorbed the energies, and the dregs of living soil tumbled from his finger tips, ash and dust on the wind. _

_The being in the shadows wept...._

_The nothing of a Void space caressed. The calls of terrified little ones echoed in the emptiness. _

_Words without sound tumbled into the darkness, and pain flared brightly through the being's soul. _

_Threads. Hundreds of them. _

_Binding tighter than chains. _

_Yet, soft and comforting as a child's tender kiss. _

_Safety._

_Protection._

_Shield._

_Struggling back to consciousness in the shadows beneath an ancient cypress tree, the being startled as an infant's cry rang forth in the morning light._

_Long years later, or maybe before:_

_A pouring river of power, coasting down the slopes of thought to merge and flow with the draining, near-empty reserves within the earth herself, Gaia. _

_Black and glinting, Oranus sacrificed himself. _

_But he still was merged with his Queen. _

_As they had created their primal children before, the magic asserted itself again. _

_Oranus sensed the bright spark in his Queen's bosom. He turned to their maddened son, their moon-bright boy. _

_He threw himself at the devouring deity, distracting and layering traps over the paranoia. _

_Giving his life to protect the newest little one that had just begun._

_Gaia wept, but rejoiced, as well. _

_Then, before, or later, when their watchful sib wrought his magic, bending his Self into the shape of a protector around the children she and her consort had so foolishly abandoned so early on, she brought her last child to being. _

_But the magics are fickle in the Void when the Primordial Ones twist them to their minds. _

_The magics have wills of their own, after all. _

_The bright spark that should have been another Titan also took on some of the power of the last Primordial King. _

_Another Primordial Titan...._

_Between. _

_Both. _

_Neither. _

_Other._

_Gaia bent the magics, as well, opening a door to an island that had long existed as a borderland. She didn't mean to, but she broke the tethers that bound it to its original existence. _

_It would now exist in all three realms, and yet in none. _

_An annex to the reality of the realms, and a gateway._

_She brought her bright little spark, this miracle of her love's sacrifice and her lover's gift, to the Spider's Widow, that ancient being that bound the memories and Selfs of immortals to the flow of the cosmos with her webs of metallic starlight. _

_She begged protection, for her little one must be shielded. _

_Her sib's magic would not bind her to his Self. _

_He did not know she existed._

_Arachne began to weave a spellweb. _

_A shield for the infant being that was already an adult in form. _

_Before the child-Titan woke from the strain of her birth, the shields were in place. She would appear to all who met her as a goddess. An orphan, yes. Her parents unknown even to herself, so that she would be accepted in the ranks of the warring deities to come. A story, like so many others, of unspoken fear and trauma; her only companion, an owl of silver and black, that would watch over, protect, and guide her when the time came...._

_Troubled she would be, certainly. But safe. _

_Protected from the madness of the Titan King who swallowed both his father and his son._

_Until the threads of Time brought things back to life that long had been thought dead._

_Until the shadows of Memory pulled back from the edges of the night to reveal the light of stars. _

_Until she was needed by the only one that could be her equal, she would be protected. _

_This last Primordial Titan. _

_This Queen of Truths and Realities. _

_And now, she was needed...._

Athena arched her spine as a soundless scream tore from her lips. The web in her chest flared with silver starlight and palest moonshine, and she collapsed to her knees, still bent backward as the magic burned itself out across her soul....

Eyes of brightest silver opened where dull grey ones had closed. 

A skin-tight dusting of darkest-grey coated her body in place of the clothing she'd worn into the cave.

Her feet were bare. 

Her hair unbound and flowing like a waterfall. 

She rose to her feet, feeling the call of a King thrum against her Self.

Erebus needed her, and she would answer the summons of the King. 


	43. A Battlefield Bathed in Twilight Dusk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once again, you're warned for violence and some bloodyness....

Zeus crashed to the earth like a meteor from on high, lightning splattering out like mud from his booted feet. His scepter slashed the air as he gestured and spun wildly, and arcing bolts nearly struck the four immortals that stood before him. 

Caernes threw an arm in front Vania, moving her behind his broad chest. Hades did the same with Persephone, who had just barely made it back onto her feet at Zeus' violent descent. 

"Where. Is. The. Titan?"

"Gone." Hades' voice was dead, hollow, filled with the weight of ages spent dispensing justice. "Gone, but that's the least of your worries, you bloody Traitor." The calm sound of the words betrayed the murderous rage and grief that was filling the King of Souls like smoke and magma. 

"Oh, I'm the traitor?!" Zeus sounded absolutely insane as he threw his head back to laugh loudly, mockingly. "I'm the traitor? I haven't raised an enemy in my own home! That was all you, brother mine!"

The earth cracked beneath Hades' feet, streaks of black crevices moving like snakes toward where Zeus stood wreathed in prismatic plasma and dazzling sparks, as Zeus took a shuddering breath before he spoke again.

"I always knew you were your father's son."

Hades let out a roar, massive, thundering, a volcano's cry of sound; he launched himself through the air at his darkly glowering brother, and scepter and bident met in an echoing crash, a shattering explosion that rocked the realms at the unleashing of mighty power and emotion. 

Hades was knocked off his feet by the backlash, while Zeus lifted into the air, moving away from the edge of the shockwave. Skidding in the gravel, Hades rolled, trying to keep his eyes on his brother's purple, sparking form against the rolling indigo sky above. Finally, his body came to a halt, and he looked back at his family. 

Persephone nodded once, her crown flickering into existence as her hair began to lift into the rising breeze. Her eyes turned red, and thorns began creeping down from the band of her crown, threading down her arms and leaving her fingers in grasping tendrils....

With another earth-tearing shout, Underworld's King slapped his hands flat to the ground. 

Once. 

Twice. 

He felt the power flow from him, leaving him breathless for a mindless heartbeat. Black portals opened randomly all over the lawn, the drive, the hillside, and shadowed figures materialized against the bright lights and dim duskiness behind each portal's maw. 

Red Hermes blasted through one portal, his hair disheveled and a woolen jacket half off his shoulders. 

Pale Thanatos, too, stepped through a shadowed space, a glass tumbler filled with mint-garnished iced tea in his hand. 

Light blue Hecate and dark mauve Ares stepped through side-by-side; Ares' mighty sword was in his hand, and Hecate's long fingers crackled with energy where she held them curled into vicious talons as her hair whipped like snakes.

More and more - daimons and powerful shades, minor gods and goddesses, nymphs and Furies- all answered the summons of the King of the Realm of Souls. 

Any who had a connection to the royal family... including the two middle children.

High overhead, a large shadowy portal opened as the others closed. 

Two blood-red forms emerged, bright silver light lining their lean forms against the dark sky. Noreptes garbed in full war kit, chain mail and heavy leather; Lukenia in a leather tunic, something like a ranger of a forest expanse would wear daily in the field. Both wielded spears and full-body shields. A lean bow was slung across Noreptes' back, and a leather quiver of black- and silver-fletched shafts hung at his hip. The hilts of a pair of matched blades crossed over Lukenia's shoulders, framing her sharply-angled face in savage starkness.

They crashed to the ground, Noreptes at Hades' right shoulder, and Lukenia at his left where he still crouched on the gravel of the drive. 

With his powerful children flanking him, the King of the Underworld rose, eyes locking once again on his brother's lone form against the sky. Lighting flared out, brighter than a dozen suns, and a hollow laugh echoed over the hillside and lawn. 

"Your army will avail you not, brother mine. I can thrash a few traitors like you without breaking a sweat."

"Then stop running, God of Gods...."

"I RUN FROM NO ONE!" 

Zeus plummeted to the gathered throng below. 

* * *

Athena felt coiled power reaching for her, trying to make a connection. She hesitated, before she realized the power felt of _her_, of her _Self, _was part of her. 

She opened her psychic senses, lowering the constricting walls she hadn't known were in place, and felt the non-space envelope her in a warm embrace. 

A path made of pale moonlight led from her feet into the bubble of Void around her lean body.

She placed one bare foot, gleaming silver, on the path. 

Her heart beat once, slowly, a deep war-drum call....

She walked through the Void, seeing the misted shapes outside the non-space encompassing her change, shift, morph, and flow as she strode through Realms without counting.

Following the summons of her King....

* * *

The battle continued, and over, under, around, through it all, the building thrum of an Other power grew. 

Hades and Persephone stood shoulder to shoulder with Noreptes and Lukenia, Caernes and Vania flanking them a few further steps behind, as the struggling mass of their called-upon forces strove to overwhelm the King of Olympus and bind him down. Ares bled from numerous small cuts and scrapes, mostly from rolling to avoid slashing blows from the purple King's flashing scepter. Hecate danced and wove around the angry god, flicking irritating bits of power at every part of him that came in view. Hermes dipped and dove overhead, dropping overripe pomegranates as distractions. Thanatos stood nearby, his hands moving in swaying gestures as he tried cast the modified death-spells that functioned as sleeping charms on other immortals. 

Suddenly, with a thundering roar, Zeus slammed his scepter, point-first, into the ground. The explosion threw the entire crowd away from his panting, heaving body, and even Hades and his family rocked as the shockwave broke over them. 

In the sudden deadly silence, Zeus locked his eyes on Hades. 

And the world went black.

* * *

The explosions and ricochets of power tore the edges of the Void, making it difficult to find a way in. Erebus strode around the edges of the dusky battlefield that had been his body's home for seventeen wonderful, beautiful, miraculous years; each step fell with the weight of eons, leaving his mind and heart colder, crueler, more vicious than he'd ever felt before as the worries and regrets fell away. 

The godling down there knew nothing of responsibility. He was a selfish bastard who let his temper cloud his better judgment. 

Just. Like. Kronos. 

_Never again. This ends._

_Today...._

The scepter flared brightly as the purple childthing slammed it into the earth. Erebus felt Gaia's pain as if it were his own, felt Oranus' dim Self sizzle as the explosion burned his airy flesh to atoms. 

He felt the final deaths of shades that weren't strong enough to withstand the violent power that had no place in their final rest....

In the silence that fell, he felt a light brush of something, something vaguely familiar. 

But the look of hate and the feeling of cold brutality that flashed from the dark little godling down the hillside had him captivated.

_This ends now._

He stepped from the Void's ragged edge, embracing the tearing pain and ripping heartbreak like a lover, letting it fuel his icy rage.... He let the waves and coils of his power billow outward, enveloping the torn and bloodied hillside until every being had been encompassed in his echoing emergence. Then he pulled the power back, letting it simmer within himself as he spoke into the deafening silence.

"_Young Aidon...._"

His power had the words rolling in the air and through every mind present and conscious. 

He didn't look at his little blue King, but he knew the god had turned to face him at his sudden appearance. Along with the other members of his family. 

Arry's family.

"_I'll take it from here, little one...._"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're so close to the end. I'm so excited to finish sharing this with you, because gifts are meant to be shared....
> 
> Stay with me, little ones. We're nearly there....


	44. To Strike Down a King

Hades stared at the profile of the Primordial Titan more than 30 feet away. The pointed ear peaked through the writhing moonbright locks, and the eyes glowed with carefully calculated intent at his demented brother's panting form below.

The Judge within in him stood, proud and commanding, as he spoke, throwing power and authority into the words his heart demanded he speak.

"I only yield, dark Erebus, if you swear to me on mighty Gaia herself that the punishment will fit the crimes. Namely, the destruction of my youngest son, and the attempted murder of my eldest daughter...."

He knew it was the first time the army he'd called to fight was hearing the charges against the King of Olympus. He held strong beneath the murmurs, gasps, disbelief, and fear as Erebus turned to look at him across the dusty light of the Underworld's dim evening. Pale hair whispered over the red eye, and Hades felt a shiver steal over him at the savage intensity of that deadly gaze....

"And what of the unborn godling within your little sun-bird's flesh....? Does that little one not deserve justice....?"

Hades rocked back on his heels, spinning to stare in disbelief at Vania where she stood behind Caernes' protective shoulder. Persephone lurched, red-eyed and wreathed in vines still, grasping desperately at Vania's trembling arms. 

Those black wells filled with tears, and the burgundy face crumpled as Vania nodded once, acknowledging the truth that had in part led to all of this pain....

Persephone tugged her daughter into a deep embrace, and Caernes adjusted his position to shelter them both behind his stiff form. Hades swallowed, hard, and slowly turned back to Erebus.

"He is yours, dark King, Lord of Shadows. Do with him as you see fit. I know of no punishment just enough for the depth of his crime.... But I would not see him dead today...."

Pale lips curled back over glistening teeth: a predator in the face that had been his son's that morning. There seemed to be no movement, but suddenly that terrifying visage was locked on Zeus' blank, disbelieving face. 

Zeus panted once, twice, and then he shot into the air as Erebus disappeared in a cloud of smoke, mist, and black flames lined in deepest red....

* * *

The battle was like nothing anyone had ever seen. It surpassed the memories of the final battle of the Titanomachy, where both mighty Titan King Erebus' shadowy form and the night-dark tyrant that was Kronos had been brought low. Hades watched as if asleep, not moving, barely breathing, as the purple god that had been his brother and the pale and smoke King that had been his son fought back and forth across the sky, the hillside, and beyond. 

* * *

Zeus' breath was loud, but all else was silent. 

His flaring scepter and the bolts he tried to cast grew weaker and dimmer as the battle wore on. Erebus flickered in and out of the Void's edge faster than thought, appearing first before the purple god on the hillside, then above the god as he tried to flee into the sky, then behind him as he spun in panicked circles on the ground. Over and over and over again, Zeus tried to retreat, escape, dodge; always, the nightmare of a being was there. 

Zeus would not succeed. 

But he would not give up. 

His hate flared up with a vengeance as he realized this creature was playing with him, cat-and-mouse, and he was being humiliated in the sight of all those, his subjects, outside the ring of smoke and mist that had sprung up sometime in the neverwhile that he was lost in this fight for his life and victory. He felt trapped, hemmed in, and he realized the only way he could win is to give the Titan what he wanted.

And then, he would take his own victory....

* * *

Hades stared as Zeus stopped, suddenly, transfixed on the hillside below, in the exact center of the ring of Erebus' dark power that kept Hades and his people out. That kept the purple god in. 

The scepter lowered; Zeus' head fell forward as well, his shoulders heaving up and down.

Erebus appeared from nothingness, right beside the exhausted god. 

The feral smile lifted the lips once more as he saw his prey at the end of his strength. 

Pale hands curled into claws....

Zeus lunged, scepter slashing out, and it seemed Erebus could not evade the flashing blow of concentrated cosmic power.

But then Zeus sunk to his knees in the hillside, screaming in pain as the earth closed around his calves, trapping him mid-lunge. 

The flashing scepter fell to the ground and rolled downhill as Zeus clawed at his legs, digging at the frozen soil around them....

Erebus knelt, close, so close to the terrified purple god, and Hades looked away. 

Not even the Judge would bear witness to the Primordial One's final justice....

* * *

"_Little godling, you've made some grave mistakes in your life.... Haven't you...?"_

Zeus stared into those red eyes, and he began to weep silent tears of panic and terror at the dark coils of power and Otherness that moved in those dark caverns, those deep wells.

Zeus trembled, and felt the world narrow to two red orbs of hate and pain and utter, rending, worlds-bending rage....

_"I can think of no greater gift to all of Gaia's beloved descendants than to remove you from their number...."_

Zeus whimpered, the tears flowing more freely.

_"However..."_

Zeus dared to hope, his breath hitching in his throat.

_"My little Aidon wishes you to remain aliiiivveee...." _

The growl that took over the word sent Zeus further down into thrashing panic. He froze again as cold, biting, bony fingers locked around his chin, bending his neck to keep those red eyes locked on his black ones....

_"I will not deny my little one his mercy...."_

"MIGHTY TITAN, NOOOOO!"

Zeus snatched his chin from the pale fingers, not even realizing that the fingers had already loosened so he could do it without breaking his neck. He craned around, twisting at his hips, as the brightly gleaming goddess dropped like a bolt from on high to rush, panting harshly, to the side of the ensnared purple god.

Hera's golden head lowered to the dirt, her hands mere inches from the bare white feet that were shrouded in smoking billows of dark mist, and though her voice was muffled against the ground below her, the words tore gaping wounds in Zeus' heart.

"Mighty Erebus, I beg of you, spare my husband! I love him! I cannot do otherwise, and I would not see him broken to something other than he is! Please, Ancient One, he's all I ever wanted, and I cannot be without him! Mercy, Lord of Shadows, please!"

Her voice died in racking sobs, and Zeus tried to reach for her, but he felt swirling shadows and roiling mist wrapped around his mind. 

He could not control his own self. 

Unless his captor allowed it....

He felt his heart galloping behind his ribs, and a scream he could not utter echoed in the little part of his mind that was still his own. 

* * *

Erebus stared at the back of Hera's golden head. Her pain, her sorrow, her need was real. He could not deny the way her aura thrashed and beat against his own. 

She truly loved the pitiful creature. 

He sighed, but he knew it came out as more of a snarl. The savagery that he'd unleashed would not go back in the cage of his control quietly, not for a long while yet....

He took in another rumbling breath, fully intending to grant the poor goddess her reprieve, but....

Light blinded him. 

Silver light, pure and shining as a river of starlight, as a pearl of moonshine....

That dark little mind from eons before....

A shadow of that dark little mind teased along his aura as she stepped through a Void not his own in a halo of blinding silver light and flickering moonlight flames....

Athena's body.

But the Self....

He felt the breath fly from him....

_Aaaattthhhh-nnnnaaaa...._

* * *

Hades heard the gasps and exclamations. He hadn't even turned around at Hera's appearance; he had known she would come. Despite all his flaws, Bunny loved, truly, deeply, undeniably craved Zeus. Her entire being was made of loyalty and trust, and he was her personal Pandora's box....

But now, in the silence after Hera's desperate plea, he knew something else had happened. 

He still wasn't going to turn around, but then Persephone was clawing at his arms, digging in her nails as she stared past him at the tableau below.

"Hades, turn around!"

He moved slowly, so slowly, feeling like he was moving through tar and cloying mud. 

He finally saw....

"Athena...?"

The silver light shone through her, around her, as she moved with powerful strides from a gleaming streak in the reality of the Underworld's existence. A streak that somehow reminded him of Erebus' doorways when he stepped through the edges of his Void. But where those doorways were black and roiling, the streak through which Athena had come was clean-cut, a slice in the fabric of reality, and glowed with beaming rays of pale silver light. 

She had her hair unbound, and the silvery-grey locks lifted and danced in a breeze unseen. 

Her thin body, whip-like and lean like her favored lances, moved with a grace he'd only seen in two beings before.

His son, and Erebus.

Her skin was covered in a dark-grey, but not-black, coating of the not-fabric dust that made up Erebus' robes. But where his flowed and melted from his skin into something like clothing, she could have been naked; the skin-tight coating covered her like a jumpsuit; it hid nothing - not that there was anything to hide. Her chest was flat as a child's, her hips narrow, her legs and arms clean lines made of lean muscle that spoke of a hunting cat's patient strength. 

Her feet were bare, and pale tendrils of silver and white mist curled up as she walked across the hillside to kneel beside Zeus' frozen form.

Her mouth opened, and he could hear nothing of the words she spoke; but he knew beyond thought, sensed beyond the telling, that everything would be alright. 

A Queen had come to tame the primal King....


	45. The Only Truth I Know....

Zeus tried to toss his head, trying to bring the new being that he could tell had just arrived into view. He didn't hear any footsteps, but he could feel the brilliant power, glowing, sparking, moving closer and closer to where he sat trapped at the feet of the Titan King before him. 

In a moment, he felt the insubstantial aura-based chains that held him bound disappear. He gasped, reveling in the feeling of his mind and body once more responding to his control. He turned, first, feeling an unexpected wash of love for his Queen burning through him at her desperate pleas for mercy on his behalf. He intended to throw a comforting, arrogant grin at Hera, wanted to let her know that he knew what she had done for him, and he would make everything right. He was her King; it was his job to make everything perfect, for him and her. 

Hera stared past him, eyes wide and blank. He recognized her "vision-face," as he thought of it with mildly tolerant amusement. He wondered vaguely if she would tell him what she had seen when they got home later. Half the time, she never did, claiming he didn't listen or really care. 

He promised himself he'd make her forget she'd ever thought that. 

But he also saw a hint of fear in Hera's eyes....

He turned the other way, feeling the muscles along his hips twanging and stretching uncomfortably as his balance shifted over his entrapped legs. 

And he felt a flash of panic as what looked like Athena knelt beside him....

_When did she turn silver, though? _

_And sweet Mother Gaia...._

_Is she naked.........?_

His pants started to feel tight across his hips, and he allowed himself a moment to enjoy the fiery lust as Athena's mouth opened softly.

"My King, how may I serve?"

She was staring straight into Zeus' eyes, and Zeus felt a strange buzzing in his head. Too much wine sometimes did that to him, but this also somehow felt layered with a healthy dose of wariness (he would not call it panic; panic was for mortals). He realized the wariness was rising in him because of a rumble of not-thunder, a sound so bass and deep it defied his ears to acknowledge its existence as it rolled through reality from the Titan's chest above his head. 

Zeus swallowed thickly, feeling confident the tide was about to turn on the undead monster just a few feet away....

"Athena, thank Gaia you're here." He lowered his voice conspiratorially, making sure the whispered words would not rise beyond the few inches between his face and her somehow silver-gleaming one. "Help me kill this fucker again, and we can all get back to normal...."

A deadly-soft smile lifted her pewter lips. 

Zeus felt his heart stop in his chest. 

"You misunderstand me...."

Zeus just blinked, gaping, as those moonlight eyes turned to stare devoutly up into the bone-pale Titan's red gaze.

"I wasn't talking to you, Zeus...."

* * *

_"I wasn't talking to you, Zeus...."_

Erebus heard her words, and his heart kicked into overdrive.

Though it still beat slowly compared to all the thundering galloping beats of the beings all over the hillside and lawn outside of his protective shadow-wall, he could not remember a time when it seemed he would lose all his breath and be glad of the lack.

_"Ath-naa...."_

"Yes, my King of Shadows...? How may I serve...?"

Her voice was calm, confident, and he felt himself melting into the sound. 

Drowning. 

He let loose the growling rumble that snarled within him for release, staking his claim with the powerful summons, the challenging call of a primal being finally found by the only one who could tame him, bind him, hold him....

His heart jumped once more as her eyes flashed brightly at the sound.

She stood, all savage grace and lithe power, and took the few short strides to bring herself toe-to-toe with him. 

He bent his head, bringing his lips mere breaths from the top of her gently waving silver locks, breathing in slowly, his eyes drifting closed as the scent of jessamine, moonflowers, and oceans at night filled his mind, his body, his Self with her presence....

His eyes snapped back open, his mind once again his own as she somehow restrained her influence. 

He still needed to render his judgment upon the arrogant godling behind her....

"Ath-naa, if you would be sooooo kind, I think Hera should be moved away for a few minutes...." His voice was low, but he let his power carry the words through to the auras of all present on the royal family's hillside lawn. 

Ath-naa bent her head in acquiescence, and moved silently to kneel at Hera's side. Hera was still staring at the silver former-goddess, and her mouth moved soundlessly with realizations she could not begin to utter....

"Come with me, Hera."

Silver hands folded gently over golden upper arms, and Hera's fingers clawed against Ath-naa's forearms as she was hauled to her feet. Her harsh whisper did not carry beyond the silver being, the bone-pale King, or the purple god mere feet away....

"It will be alright, won't it? You're here to make it alright?"

Ath-naa nodded once, confirming Hera's trust. She guided the golden goddess, trembling now, to stand halfway between the inner edge of the shadow-barrier and her King, uphill from the seat of judgment below. Silver hands rested lightly on those shivering shoulders, a silent command to stay still and quiet.

Erebus turned back to the purple godling, feeling the rage that had been burning for what seemed an age and a half smolder down into a temperate feeling of duty. 

No longer vengeance....

Justice and recompense....

He raised his voice, both in the physical and psychic spaces, and poured every iota of his power and authority into the sentence that honor and love demanded he utter.

"Zeus, Bolt-god and King of Olympus, I here, now, strip you of your title. King no longer, God of Gods no longer, I bind you to ineptitude. You have never been less worthy of the power that was a gift given to you by the Primal Forces that form this existence. As one of them, I, Erebus, King of Shadows and Lord of Self, remove you from these honored ranks."

One pale, spidery hand curled into a vicious talon and swung faster than thought toward the heaving purple chest. The tips of the thin fingers stopped, just barely touching the white fabric over the other's frantically beating heart, and mist coiled in the space between the palm and one glinting gold bar-pin of rank. 

The mist darkened, beginning to glow, shot through with streaks of blue and white lightning and black flames edged in silver. The fingers tightened, closing into a fist, scraping down over the fabric, tearing threads loose and causing the gleaming pin to leap to the ground. 

A soft thud echoed once over the hillside as the fist closed completely, the mist and lightning and flames snuffed out instantly. The other moonbright hand came flying around in a swinging blow, catching hold of the tangled and knotted purple hair, pulling upward harshly. The unmade god's thrashing legs and feet emerged from the solid ground below, and the writhing form was tossed unceremoniously away to land in a crumpled heap between the savage Titan and the tiny, trembling golden queen....

"Young Aidon, if you would be so kind, I think it would be best if you sent your two lovely, heavily-armed children to escort the Queen of Olympus and her... husband... back to their home. We're done here...."

* * *

Hades couldn't speak, but he nodded once to Noreptes, and once to Lukenia, a silent command for them to obey. His two middle children lifted from the ground, skimming lightly through the air as they approached the crumpled former King. Hera tore her shoulders from Ath-naa's grasp, pelting downhill to stumble to her knees at Zeus' side. 

Under Hera's breathless encouragement, Zeus clambered to his feet. Hades was relieved to see the purple not-god kept his eyes down as he stumbled with Hera past the silent, grave-still form of Erebus. Noreptes and Lukenia fell in behind them, their shields overlapping before their bodies, and Hades was shocked to see a shimmer in the air in front of Zeus and Hera, as well as to either side. 

The shimmers resolved with tiny whirlwinds into exact copies of Noreptes and Lukenia's bodies, complete with all their war-kit and weaponry. Each new pair moved independently of the others and the original, stepping over the particular obstacles in their paths as if living beings themselves. 

Hades felt his mouth drop open as Persephone and he stared at the evidence of their middle children's power and bond. 

He ripped his gaze away, remembering there was still a lot of potential danger and heavily-coalesced power just down the hill from where he stood with his wife and daughter and son-in-law. Not to mention, there was still a whole minor army beginning to murmur and shift as their purpose was exhausted and their curiosity unsated.

"Thank you all for your assistance. We will schedule a debriefing in a few days."

Hades swallowed once as all those eyes turned to him. He knew they'd never forgive him for booting them out when things were still getting good, but they would not argue with the King today. Not when that King had a savage Titan-thing ready to stand in his defense....

Hades clapped his palms together once, spreading his hands apart, watching orderly portals open in the space to the far left of the still-writhing shadow-wall. Eight portals, evenly spaced, and all hovering with soft curls of smoke and flame a few inches above the lichen-covered ground. 

The throng began to flock to the portals. As each individual or pair approached, the portal's watery exit in another realm, another location, would shift slightly in color and tone: some showed as a bright yellow of daylight, others to pale grey twilight muzziness. Only a few showed as a dark navy or black; those would send the few remaining battle-hardened shades back to their posts on the borders of the Underworld's farthest expanses. 

Hecate blew a quick kiss over one shoulder to her son as she and Ares stepped hand-in-hand to a glimmering light-blue portal. Hades thought he caught the sound of seagulls through his psychic connection to the portal's flow. 

Hermes was the last to dart through a portal, cackling loudly with the day's fun as he did. Persephone giggled slightly, and Hades snapped his fingers once, letting the King's power fade from his Self. 

He stumbled a little as the strain caught up with him. Persephone clutched tightly to his arm, and he managed to keep his feet. 

He and his wife and daughter and son-in-law stared as the shadow-wall disappeared in wisps and tendrils, and the pale and smoke Being approached the silver Queen who stood above him on the hillside....

* * *

His heart had calmed, but though it beat closer to its normal tempo, each beat was resonant, deep, resounding and echoing in his Self with the power that She wielded over him. He could have no more turned aside from his path than he could have taken a blade to his own chest. 

She held him in her thrall. 

He could do nothing but let himself hand over the leash on his Self. 

She was the Queen he had been waiting for without a prayer....

Each step brought him closer to where she stood; each beat of his heart struck a bright flash from her eyes as the connection deepened. 

He felt the cosmos swirling, billowing, around, through, between them.

He stood directly before her after an eternity of lack, and he lost himself in her glowing silver eyes. 

Instincts beyond thought, need beyond sense had him raising one trembling hand to cup her cheek.

He shuddered as her hand suddenly laid flat against his chest, right over his heart, her fingertips barely brushing the still tingling marks left in his flesh by the bolt that had destroyed Arry's physical existence....

The vision in his left eye faded, and his heart rocked violently beneath her hand. He felt the burning marks, the ancient wounds, all flaring to life over every inch of his body.

The tear that fell to his thumb where he held her cheek burned like ice against his skin. 

And the pain stopped. 

Tingles replaced the blazing marks across his body, and he knew without having to look that the black lines and blotches would appear as shining silver against his milk-pale skin. 

Only visible in bright sunlight, and only if she held him close....

His gaze was snatched from her bright eyes as a web of lines on her torso flared with silver light. The brightness shone through the dark-grey dust coating her skin, but she seemed not to feel anything from it. He stared, enraptured at the mystery, as the lines faded again, from silver to black to nothing, hidden beneath her gleaming skin....

He looked back into those bright, bright eyes. He leaned forward until his forehead rested on hers. 

His eyes drifted shut as the cloud of jessamine and moonflowers and night-dark ocean waves enveloped him in her Self's embrace.

The pulsing beat of her heart merged with his own, and together, they drifted in the tides of the cosmos, beyond the thought of time or the reach of memories dark and shadowed....

* * *

_King's Advice and History_

_This last...._

_This entry is recorded by Ere, King of Shadows, Lord of Self, on this night of 64 post-awakening._

_On this day, Melarebus, the Young Majesty, the second iteration of the King of the Void's soul and power and Self, gave up his physical existence for love of his sister and her unborn child._

_Though wounded gravely by a crashing bolt from arrogant, hate-filled godling Zeus, Arry made a choice most brave and courageous. _

_He chose to drop through the Void's edge, not once, but twice, to reach his sister where she lay stunned and injured on the broken roadway, and then hold her tightly to his broken chest to drop them both home...._

_The Void's power was never meant to mix with the power of a living Bolt from Olympus above._

_While Arry might have been able to heal and recover, physically, in his body had he not entered the Void, he would then have lost his sister. And his sister's unborn little one._

_Arry's sacrifice has saved two of my little one's lives._

_The Young Majesty then made one final choice. He reached from beyond the Void's edge to his sister's strong right arm, her husband, that protector with no equal in any realm or time...._

_To remove the bolt from his chest._

_I was able to step into the broken body of my soul's heir. The body remembered the feel of the power that is Mine, the Self that is Mine, and I was able to save this body from the darkness of oblivion. _

_It still bears the mark, however, like a web of blackened veins upon the chest, tangled threads of the poison that should not have been...._

_But, I am alive. _

_And Arry is not dead._

_Broken, yes. Resting, certainly. _

_But he remains...._

_In time, I'm certain, he will be strong enough to look out, as I so often did. Our roles have reversed, but that may not be the end of our shared existence. _

_I'm not entirely positive, but there may be a way...._

_It matters not. _

_I obey my Young Majesty's final command. _

_I shall Live._

_No longer will I merely exist. _

_I shall Live. _

_For both of us...._

_I have no more words._

_Save these, the only truth I know:_

_I love you, Arry, my Young Majesty, my precious little one._

_Enjoy the night...._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to thank deeply every single one of you who have followed this journey with me.
> 
> As a novelist at heart, I assure you, all comments, concerns, questions, and praise have been noted and catalogued for remembrance in my future work.
> 
> Which shall include....
> 
> Drumroll....
> 
> A sequel to Titans Reborn! The title is Shadows and Truths - you see where I'm going with this?
> 
> You may have noticed that this is now listed as part of a series here, called Primordial Lore. The first installment of the sequel will be uploaded on October 1st, and we will strive for a 3 day turnaround time after each drop. 
> 
> Ere approves.  
3days is just right. Otherwise, I get bored. 2days is too short.
> 
> Now, because I'm a world builder.... 
> 
> Please enjoy a folder dedicated to images of some of my characters. Some have been shared on discord already. Others are brand new for this final chapter's drop.
> 
> A gift, from me to my little ones.
> 
> https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=1630K556wwzVJJ5ZzU1T-qi59Y9mQUqEN
> 
> And if any of you would like to contribute some delectable fan art of any of my OCs, hit me up on discord, and I'll make sure to get them in the folder! Teamwork!!!
> 
> Now, as always, my little ones....
> 
> Have a yogurt, feel the heartbeat of the cosmos in your deepest Self, and until next time....
> 
> Enjoy the night........


End file.
